May 10, 2024, 11:06 PM
May 10, 2024, 11:06 PM
The United Nations General Assembly decided to expand Palestine’s rights within the organization and urged it to be accepted as a member.
Palestine has maintained the status of Non-member observer state since 2012, which confers some of the rights that correspond to a full member.
However, full membership can only be approved by the UN Security Council.
The resolution adopted on Friday will allow Palestine to fully participate in the debates, propose agenda items and elect its representatives on committees, although it will not have the right to vote.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdansaid that the organization had welcomed a “terrorist state” into its ranks and remembered the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas in the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack, in which 1,200 people were killed.
Addressing the General Assembly from the speakers’ lectern, Erdan destroyed a copy of the UN Charter with a small paper shredderaccusing members of having destroyed their commitment to the body’s founding document by approving the resolution.
“While many of you hate Jews, you don’t care that Palestinians are not peace-loving,” Erdan said. “They should be ashamed,” she added.
The ambassador said on Monday that if the measure was approved, he expected the United States to cut funding to the UN and its institutions, while The Israeli army continues its offensive in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have already died.
This Friday the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbaswelcomed the UN resolution and said it supported efforts to have the Security Council vote again on the issue.
“Palestine will continue its efforts to obtain full membership in the UN,” he said in a statement.
International recognition
The resolution coincides with reports indicating that several European countries plan to recognize the Palestinian state.
The head of foreign policy of the European Union, Josep Borrellsaid Thursday that Spain I would do it on May 21. He previously assured that Ireland, Slovenia and Malta They would also take the step, without confirming the date.
The question of Palestinian statehood has vexed the international community for decades.
In 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)the main representative of the Palestinians, declared for the first time the establishment of the State of Palestine.
According to the Reuters agency, the Palestinian State is recognized by 139 of the 193 UN member states, although this is considered a symbolic measure.
In practice, the Palestinians have limited self-government through the Palestinian Authority in areas of the West Bank occupied by Israel. The Palestinian Authority lost control of the Gaza Strip in view of Hamas in 2007. The UN considers both territories to be occupied by Israel and comprise a single political entity.
Israel, meanwhile, does not recognize a Palestinian state and the current Israeli government opposes its creation in the West Bank and Gaza.
He maintains that a Palestinian state would be a threat to the existence of Israel.
The United States, for its part, supports the creation of a Independent Palestinian state alongside Israel -the so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict-, but assures that it should only arise through direct negotiations between the two parties.
Last month, the United States used its veto as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council to block a widely supported Algerian resolution seeking the admission of Palestine as a full member, calling it “premature.”
However, this new vote can be interpreted as a gesture of support for the Palestinians.
Security Council resolutions are legally binding, while General Assembly resolutions are not.
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