The assembly voted on the matter on May 10, with 143 member states voting in favor of the move. Nine states, including the U.S. and Israel, voted against the proposal. The assembly's vote reflects global sentiment after a similar resolution was vetoed by Washington in April.
Aside from Israel and the U.S., seven others – Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Papua New Guinea – voted against the resolution. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom was one of 25 countries to abstain.
While the resolution does not grant full membership to Palestine, it recognizes its eligibility to become one. It also grants Palestinians additional rights and privileges starting September.
Included in these privileges is a seat among UN members in the assembly hall, albeit without voting rights. Aside from this, Palestine is also granted the ability to participate fully in debates, propose agenda items and have its representatives elected to committees.
Currently, Palestine holds non-member observer state status, which was granted in 2012. Full membership requires approval from both the Security Council and the General Assembly. But given the likely U.S. veto in the council's panel of five permanent members, the prospect of Palestine joining the UN remains uncertain.
Riyad Mansour, Palestine's ambassador to the UN, urged member nations prior to the May 10 session to vote yes as an investment for peace. He explained that doing so would signify support for Palestinian existence.
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Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) expressed appreciation for the resolution after the General Assembly voted in favor of it. According to him, it bolstered Palestinian efforts for another Security Council vote on the matter. "Palestine will persist in its quest for full UN membership," he affirmed in a statement.
Israel and the U.S. blocking Palestinian statehood
But Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN Gilad Erdan decried the General Assembly. He accused it of disregarding the UN Charter, symbolically shredding a copy of the document at the lectern.
"You are tearing apart the UN Charter with your own hands. Shame on you," he admonished the General Assembly. According to him, the UN is admitting a "terror state" into its ranks with the May 10 resolution.
This push comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, formally the Islamic Resistance Movement. It also comes amid Tel Aviv's expansion of settlements in the PNA-controlled West Bank, which the UN has deemed illegal.
Palestinian aspirations for statehood encompass the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. However, Washington maintains that statehood should result from direct negotiations between the parties. Thus, it has warned against unilateral measures in achieving Palestinian statehood. (Related: Andrew Meyer: Israel-Palestine conflict will continue unless BOTH SIDES sit down and compromise.)
The potential adoption of the resolution could lead to a U.S. funding cut to the UN and its agencies, as American law prohibits funding to organizations granting full membership to entities lacking "internationally recognized attributes" of statehood.
The issue of Palestinian statehood has long been a contentious topic in the international arena. While the Palestine Liberation Organization declared the establishment of the State of Palestine in 1988, recognition by UN member states remains largely symbolic.
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Watch this video about the UN's May 10 vote for the resolution to bring Palestine closer to full membership.
This video is from the CreeperStatus channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Palestine’s representatives call for end to Israeli occupation at ICJ hearings.
Unintended consequences of Israel’s assault on Palestine.
Israel’s GENOCIDE in Gaza leads to rising global pro-Palestine sentiment.
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