Ramallah, June 14 (IANS): Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called the UN vote a "victory" for Palestinian rights and international justice and law.
Abbas said in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency (WAFA) that he sent his thanks and gratitude to the states that voted in favour of the UN resolution.
A total of 120 states, members of the UN General Assembly, voted in favour of the resolution on providing international protection to the Palestinians in the Palestinian territories, mainly in the Gaza Strip.
Eight members, including Israel and the US, voted against the resolution. There were 45 abstentions.
The resolution condemned the Israeli use of "excessive" power against Palestinian civilians and demanded UN Secretary General António Guterres to recommend establishing a mechanism to provide international protection to the Palestinians.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki said that the UN chief has to submit a proposal within 60 days to carry out practical mechanisms to implement the resolution, Xinhua news agency reported.
"The resolution affirms the need to ensure protection to the Palestinians, as well as the creation of executive mechanisms for this resolution. What is required now is to continue pressure on the United States and Israel and follow up with the Secretary-General," he told Palestine Television.
Meanwhile, the Hamas movement said in an emailed press statement that it welcomed the results of the UN vote "which was for the sake and the interest of our people".
"The results of the vote are so important because it backs the Palestinian rights," said the statement, adding "the vote isolated the US and the state of the occupation and showed the world how Washington is fully biased to the Israeli occupation".
On March 30, the Palestinians participated in demonstrations in five separate locations in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel.
Ashraf al-Qedra, the Health Ministry spokesperson in Gaza, said that the death toll since March 30 has grown to 128 with around 14,000 injured.
Around half of them were shot by live ammunition, and many of them are still in critical condition.
