RAMALLAH, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Thursday welcomed the United Nations (UN) vote in favor of a resolution on the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over their natural resources in the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said that the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly voted in favor of the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people over the natural resources in the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

A total of 151 member states voted in favor of the resolution, seven voted against, namely Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Paula and the United States, and ten member states abstained, according to a press statement.

"Voting in favor of the resolution affirms the right of the Palestinians and their sovereignty over their natural resources, including land, water, and energy resources," Al-Maliki said in the statement.

He added that the resolution demands that Israel stop exploiting natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"There is a need to stop all activities harmful to the environment carried out by Israeli settlers, as well as the burial of waste of all kinds in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem," Al-Maliki noted. "Israel must stop the destruction of vital infrastructure and the confiscation of wells and agricultural lands."

Al-Maliki called on the international community "to compel Israel to implement the international resolutions and ensure the freedom of the Palestinian people to benefit from their natural resources."

"The Palestinian people have the right to demand compensation and reparation for the exploitation, damage, loss, or endangerment of their natural resources in any way," he said.

The Palestinians aspire to establish an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.