Metropolis Desk-
With a resounding vote on Friday, the UN General Assembly supported the Palestinians’ bid for full membership, which the US is blocking, and gave them more rights within the international organization.
The UN resolution permits Palestine to fully participate in discussions, put forward items for the agenda, and elect delegates to committees within the global organization.
Still, it will not be able to vote, as the General Assembly lacks the authority to do so and would require support from the Security Council.
The vote, which was mostly symbolic, sparked an angry response from Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan, while Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour called it historic.
The Palestinians, whose current status at the UN is that of a “nonmember observer state,” renewed their 2011 request to become full members of the organization in April amid the blazing conflict in Gaza.
The plan required approval from the UN Security Council and a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly to be successful.
However, on April 18, the United States, Israel’s closest friend and one of the five Security Council members with veto power, stopped it.
The ambassador from Palestine, Mansour, stated before Friday’s vote, “I have stood hundreds of times before at this podium, but never for a more significant vote than the one about to take place, a historic one.”
“The day will come when Palestine will take its rightful place among the community of free nations,” he stated.
However, Israeli envoy Erdan retaliated, claiming that the UN Charter was being misused and illustrating his point while standing at the platform by running a printout of the charter through a shredder.
Erdan referred to two extremist organizations when he added, “With this new precedent, we may see here representatives of ISIS or Boko Haram that will sit among us.”
It coincides with rumors that numerous European nations intend to acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s head of foreign policy, said on Thursday on the Spanish broadcaster RTVE that Spain would take action on May 21. Before he had stated that Malta, Slovenia, and Ireland would follow suit, but he had not specified when.
The right-wing government of Israel is strongly against a two-state solution, and as such, the United States rejects any acknowledgment of statehood other than by bilateral agreement between the Palestinians and Israel.
Following the resolution’s passage, US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood stated, “Our vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood… it remains the US view that unilateral measures at the UN and on the ground will not advance this goal.”
The International Crisis Group’s Richard Gowan argued that the action might lead to “a sort of diplomatic doom loop, with the Assembly repeatedly calling for the Council to grant Palestine membership and the US vetoing it.”
The language makes it clear that Palestinians cannot be elected to the Security Council or to the General Assembly to cast votes.
However, instead of going via another nation as is now the case, it enables them to submit recommendations and revisions directly.
In alphabetical order among the member states, it also grants them the right to be seated. After 25 countries abstained, the resolution was adopted 143 to 9.
What counts, according to Gowan, is the symbolism. “This resolution is a very clear signal to Israel and the US that it is time to take Palestinian statehood seriously.”
At least 34,943 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have died as a result of an Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7 of last year, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Source- Reuters
