Iran says the United Nations� approval of a proposal calling for the hoisting of the Palestinian flag at the world body�s headquarters in New York proved the UN support for Palestine.

On Thursday, the UN�General Assembly decided that the flags of the�non-member observer states of�Palestine and the Holy See�"shall be raised at (UN) Headquarters and United Nations Offices following the flags of the member states."

As many as 119 countries voted in favor of the resolution, eight�voted against, and 45 abstained.

�The General Assembly displayed its continued support for the Palestinian cause by approving the resolution,� Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Gholam Hossein Dehqani said.

He said Iran welcomes the approval of the resolution�and believes that the move conveys a message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and recognizes their right to determine their own fate.

The Iranian envoy expressed hope that the Palestinians would be able to achieve full independence without any occupation and secure an appropriate status among members of the international community.

The resolution requested UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to�take �the measures necessary� for the implementation of the decision. The UN has 20 days to carry out the decision.

The United States and Israel had expressed their opposition to the measure, with US State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner describing it as �counterproductive� and Israel�s envoy to the UN, Ron Prosor, dismissing it as �a blatant attempt to hijack the UN.�

Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem)�and the besieged Gaza Strip, and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.

On November 29, 2012, the General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine�s status at the UN from �non-member observer entity� to �non-member observer state� despite strong opposition from Israel and the US.

By Press TV