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UN VOTES OVERWHELMINGLY TO

REAFFIRM PALESTINIAN SELF-DETERMINATION


On December 16, 2025, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution reaffirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to establish an independent State of Palestine. The resolution passed by a wide margin, with 164 countries voting in favor, reflecting strong international support for Palestinian self-determination.

In the final vote, nine countries abstained: Ecuador, Togo, Tonga, Panama, Fiji, Cameroon, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, and South Sudan. Eight countries voted against the resolution: Israel, the United States, Argentina, Paraguay, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Palau, and Nauru. Together, the abstentions and opposing votes represented a small minority of the General Assembly.

The resolution reiterates long-standing United Nations positions that Palestinians have the right to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development without external interference. It reaffirms principles grounded in the UN Charter and international law and continues a decades-long pattern of General Assembly action addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Supporters of the resolution described the outcome as a reaffirmation of fundamental human rights and international legal norms, particularly amid ongoing conflict and humanitarian concerns in the occupied Palestinian territory. Some critics (including several of the countries that voted against the measure) argue that repeated UN resolutions do not meaningfully advance peace negotiations and risk entrenching political divisions. Even so, the overwhelming margin of support demonstrated the persistence of broad international backing for Palestinian self-determination within the United Nations.

 

The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination

The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination PDF

 

UN General Assembly adopts resolution backing Palestinians' right to self-determination (Anadolu Ajansı, 12-16-25)

UN members vote 164-8 to support Palestinians’ inalienable right to an independent state (Tehran Times, 12-16-25)