After last week's vote granting the Palestinian Authority non-member statehood status, the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution Monday calling on Israel to open its nuclear program for inspection.

Canada voted against the resolution.

The U.N. body is also admonishing Israel to join the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and backing a recently cancelled high-level conference banning nuclear weapons from the Middle East.

Iran and Arab countries planned to attend the mid-December conference in Helsinki, Finland, but the United States cancelled it because of political turmoil in the region.

Iran and other Arab countries claimed the real reason was Israel's refusal to take part.

The Jewish state has never denied or affirmed its nuclear program, though its intentions are aimed at preserving its existence.

Israel's enemies, on the other hand, want to neutralize its nuclear deterrence to allow surrounding countries to attack Israel with conventional weapons, bringing about its destruction incrementally.

Meanwhile, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries seek to advance their nuclear programs while systematically denying Israel the right to defend itself.