Palestine welcomes UN General Assembly resolution

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the passing of a UN General Assembly resolution on protecting the Palestinian people which was adopted Wednesday with a majority of votes.

"It is a victory for justice and international law," said Abbas, speaking to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.

He also appreciated and thanked the UN member countries that voted in favor of the resolution.

"The adoption of a resolution in the UN General Assembly demanding protection for the Palestinian people is a great achievement and victory that shows that the world's nations stand by Palestinian rights," said Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh al-Maliki.

The Turkish and Algerian-sponsored resolution passed in the General Assembly in a 120-8 vote. In all, 45 countries abstained.

It blames Israel for the recent deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and urges the international community to consider protections for Palestinian civilians.

The countries that voted against the resolution included the U.S., Israel, Australia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Togo, Solomon Islands and Micronesia.

Turkey also expressed its pleasure over the adoption of the resolution, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the U.S. was once again disappointed.

"This is a major victory for justice and the rights of Palestinians. Turkey will continue to stand by Palestine," Turkish top aide İbrahim Kalın also said on his Twitter account.