UN Resolution on Palestinian Sovereignty Over Its Natural Resources

by Stephen Lendman

On Tuesday, General Assembly members overwhelmingly passed a resolution, asserting Palestine's right to its own natural resources - systematically stolen by Israel, including water, as well as offshore oil and gas reserves.

The vote was 164 in favor, five against. Ten nations abstained. America, Israel, Canada and two tiny US-controlled Pacific islands alone voted "no."

General Assembly resolutions are symbolic, not binding. Palestine has no more control over its natural resources now than a day earlier - Israel free to steal them, world community intervention on behalf of their rights entirely absent.

The resolution demands Israel cease exploiting, damaging, depleting and endangering resources rightfully belonging to Palestinians - including their legal right to claim restitution, amounting to many billions of dollars.

The resolution cited Israel's "extensive destruction" of arable Palestinian farmland, the economic and environmental repercussions - along with destroying water pipelines, sewage networks and electricity grids.

Infrastructure destruction was most severe during Israeli aggression on Gaza in summer 2014, virtually no rebuilding done because of imposed blockade.

Illegal settlement construction was highlighted, explaining their "detrimental impact…on Palestinian and other Arab natural resources, especially as a result of the confiscation of land and the forced diversion of water resources."

Israel controls about 85% of water resources rightfully belonging to Palestine.

Al-Shabaka is an independent NGO involved in fostering public discussion of Palestinian rights, including self-determination.

In mid-December, it discussed the devastating effect Israel's settlement enterprise has had on Palestine's economy and people - "dispossessing (them) of their land, water and other resources and creating mass unemployment."

The world community continues turning a blind eye to major Israeli high crimes against humanity - collectively punishing an entire population without letup, along with stealing its resources and preventing its right to self-determination.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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