Self determination: another defeat to Israel at the UN

The United Nations General Assembly, last night issued yet another resolution that supports the rights of the Palestinians. This is in a series of resolutions that dealt with issues ranging from sovereignty over Jerusalem, to the right of self determination.

In a historic resolution voicing the hope the Palestinian people to be given the right to self-determination,160 countries voted for this right while opposed only by Israel and the US. The members of urged world organizations to support the Palestinians drive to win this right.

Marwan Jilani, the UN counselor for Palestine at the UN expressed his pleasure in the vote saying that "The European countries were unanimous in their support this year in cosponsoring the resolution, including Germany, which did not provide this support last year". There was 62 other cosponsors.

Jilani went on to say that another approved resolution, number 52/53, about the city of Jerusalem was also significant in that it affirmed that "Israeli jurisdiction over the city is illegal, and therefore null and void."

The general assembly also voiced grave concern over the current deterioration of the Middle East peace process.

In Luxembourg, the European Union's leaders said in a statement that they were deeply concerned over the lack of progress in the Middle East peace process, which hit a deadlock with Israeli began construction on new settlement constructing on the Arab East Jerusalem.