RAMALLAH, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Authority welcomed on Tuesday the vote of the United Nations in favor of the Palestinian people's right of self-determination.
The vote is considered an immediate response to the Monday remarks of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Israeli settlements in the West Bank don't contradict or violate international law, the Palestinian Authority said.
During a session of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, a resolution was adopted to support the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying in a press release.
A total of 165 states voted in favor of the resolution, five against, and nine abstained, the statement noted.
Also in the statement, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called on the world's states to unite and agree on the Palestinians' right of self-determination and ending the Israeli occupation.
The overwhelming vote in favor of the resolution shows the natural response of the international community to the U.S. recognition of the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, al-Maliki said.
The Palestinian diplomacy will topple all attempts to undermine the Palestinian people's right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital and return to their homes, he noted.
