Ramallah, Nov 6 (IANS): Palestine has welcomed the consensus of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

In a press statement sent to Xinhua news agency, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that 158 UN member states voted in favour of the resolution, 10 abstained, and six voted against the resolution.

"Palestine welcomes the overwhelming vote in favour of the resolution," the statement said.

It added that the right to self-determination is the basis of all rights, "especially for the Palestinian people, who suffer under a long-term Israeli occupation".

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, in the June 1967 Middle East war and has controlled them ever since.

Since then, the Palestinians have been seeking self-determination in a bid to establish a separate state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.