The United Nation’s General Assembly on Friday, May 10, voted overwhelmingly to grant full membership to Palestine.
Recall that the Palestinians had applied for membership of the world body on several occasions, which has been blocked by the United States.
But on Friday, majority members if the UN Assembly voted for Palestinian to be granted full membership of the body.
However, Israel and Palestinians have reacted differently to the development.
According to reports, “Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan reacted angrily to the largely symbolic vote. While Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour described the development as historic.
Recall that in the midst of the war razing in Gaza, the Palestinians in April relaunched a request dating back to 2011 to become full members of the United Nations. Palestinian association with the United Nation has remind a “nonmember observer state.”
To be become a full member of the UN, the initiative needed a UN Security Council green light. It also needed a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly.
Recall that the United States – one of five veto-holding members on the Security Council and Israel’s closest ally, has blocked the request on April 18.
But not giving up on the quest, the Palestinian ambassador Mansour said “I have stood hundreds of times before at this podium. But never for a more significant vote than the one about to take place, an historic one,” Mansour said on Friday.
“The day will come where Palestine will take its rightful place among the community of free nations,” he has said before the vote.
But rejecting the development, Israeli ambassador Erdan fired back. He said the UN Charter was being abused. Erdan made his point by putting a printout of the charter through a shredder as he stood at the podium.
“With this new precedent, we may see here representatives of ISIS or Boko Haram that will sit among us,” Erdan said.
The ambassador said, it would give “the rights of a State to an entity that is already partly controlled by terrorists. And will be replaced by a force of child-murdering Hamas rapists.”
Recall that the United States opposes any recognition of statehood outside of a bilateral accord between the Palestinians and Israel. But the right-wing government is adamantly opposed to a two-state solution.
US deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said after the resolution passed that while “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 resolution gives the Palestinians “additional rights and privileges” starting in the next session of the General Assembly, in September.
Reacting to the resolution, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, Richard Gowan, said the move could create “a sort of diplomatic doom loop. With the Assembly repeatedly calling for the Council to grant Palestine membership and the US vetoing it.”
“The text explicitly rules out letting the Palestinians be chosen to sit on the Security Council. Or to vote in the General Assembly.
“But it allows them submit proposals and amendments directly to the UN without having to go through another country.
“It also gives them the right to be seated among member States in alphabetical order.
According to report, the resolution was approved by a vote of 143 to 9 with 25 nations abstaining.
“The symbolism is what matters,” said Gowan. “This resolution is a very clear signal to Israel and the US. That it is time to take Palestinian statehood seriously.”
Recall that the war in Gaza began with Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel. The attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians. according to an AFP.
However, Israel’s spontaneous retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,943 people in Gaza, mostly women and children. This is according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The report stated that Hamas militant group welcomed the passage of the UN measure. The group described the development, “a reaffirmation of international solidarity with our people.”
source: Daily Trust
