TEHRAN – At a UN General Assembly meeting on Thursday, 157 countries voted in favor of a draft resolution on the permanent sovereignty of Palestine over the occupied territories.

The United Nations approved the draft resolution on "Permanent sovereignty of Palestine over the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem (Beit-ul-Moqaddas) and sovereignty of Arab citizens over the natural resources of the occupied Syrian Golan," Tasnim reported.

157 countries voted in favor of the draft resolution, seven countries – Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the United States – voted against, with 14 abstentions.

The draft, drafted by the UN Committee on Economic and Financial Affairs, emphasizes "Israel's actions in building a retaining wall and settlements in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, violate international law and deprive the Palestinian people of their natural resources." 

The draft calls on the Zionist regime to abide by the decision of The Hague tribunal on the illegality of the construction of the wall and settlements.

In a statement on Friday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said: "The voting in favor of the resolution affirms the right and sovereignty of the Palestinian people on their natural resources including lands, water and energy resources."

The draft resolution also emphasizes the Security Council's previous request in UNSCR 2334 to distinguish between Zionist and Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The draft also called on the UN Secretary-General to present at the next meeting a report on the implementation of the resolution and the Zionist regime's misuse of Palestinian natural resources in the occupied territories.

Also, Palestinian prisoners set fire to a section of Asqalan prison in protest of the martyrdom of Sami al-Amour in the prison.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Movement announced that the situation in Asqalan prison had become inflamed and that prisoners in all wards had declared public mourning, closed all wards and returned Thursday's meals.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Movement also said in a statement that the behavior toward al-Amour showed that his martyrdom was a real assassination and execution, and that it was a continuation of the policy of medical negligence for prisoners.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Movement stated that the Zionist regime had kept the Palestinian prisoner in the corridor for more than 14 hours during his transfer to Nafha Field Hospital, and this is conclusive evidence of the regime's crimes against this Palestinian inmate.

On the other hand, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Zaher Jabarin, issued statement on Thursday blaming the regime for all the consequences of the martyrdom of al-Amour and the health condition of 700 other prisoners in Israeli jails and stressed that medical negligence for them means sentencing them to gradual death.

Jabarin stated that the Zionist regime and its prison organization have a black record with regard to crimes against the Palestinian prisoners, and that these crimes are a clear reflection of the regime's targeted policies towards the prisoners.

He called on all official institutions and international legal organizations to fulfill their responsibilities towards the Palestinian prisoners, especially the sick prisoners, and to work for their release.