UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly passed a resolution recommending the Security Council to once again consider admitting Palestine as...
UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly passed a resolution recommending the Security Council to once again consider admitting Palestine as a full-fledged UN member.
The resolution was supported by 143 states; 9 states, including Argentina, Hungary, Israel, the US and the Czech Republic, voted against; 25 states abstained. The adoption of the resolution was met with applause in the General Assembly hall.
The document includes nine clauses. In addition to the recommendation for the Security Council to discuss Palestine’s admission to the UN, it contains the idea that Palestine should be provided with a number of procedural rights of a full member state "on an exception basis and without creating a precedent." In particular, Palestine will be able to include itself to the list of speakers for meetings on the Middle Eastern issue, propose amendments and make procedural proposals in the name of a group of countries. At the same time, the document underscores that Palestine will remain an observer state and therefore will have no vote in the General Assembly, and its representatives will be unable to propose their candidacies to UN bodies.
The UN General Assembly passed a resolution recommending the Security Council to once again consider admitting Palestine as a full-fledged UN member.
The resolution was supported by 143 states; 9 states, including Argentina, Hungary, Israel, the US and the Czech Republic, voted against; 25 states abstained. The adoption of the resolution was met with applause in the General Assembly hall.
The document includes nine clauses. In addition to the recommendation for the Security Council to discuss Palestine’s admission to the UN, it contains the idea that Palestine should be provided with a number of procedural rights of a full member state "on an exception basis and without creating a precedent." In particular, Palestine will be able to include itself to the list of speakers for meetings on the Middle Eastern issue, propose amendments and make procedural proposals in the name of a group of countries. At the same time, the document underscores that Palestine will remain an observer state and therefore will have no vote in the General Assembly, and its representatives will be unable to propose their candidacies to UN bodies.
In April, the United States used its veto power, blocking the Algerian draft resolution that recommended admitting Palestine as a full UN member state. The document was supported by 12 Security Council members, including Russia and China. Switzerland and the UK abstained. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz thanked the US for its decision.
Currently, Palestine has a status of permanent observer. In 2011, Palestinian authorities applied for full UN membership, but later Palestine decided to remain a permanent observer for the time being. In April, it sent a letter to the Security Council asking to resume the review of its application for full UN membership.
UNGA decision on Palestine detrimental to hostage liberation — Israeli Foreign Minister
The UN General Assembly decision on Palestine’s rights is detrimental to the efforts on liberation of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, commenting on the decision.
"The UN political theater made an artificial, distorted and pointless decision that awards Hamas murderers and rapists and is detrimental to the efforts on liberation of hostages," Katz said, according to the foreign ministry press office.
According to Katz, the General Assembly’s decision is a "UN’s message to the suffering [Middle Eastern] region that violence pays off."
"I thank everyone who decided not to support this distortion of truth and stood on the right side of history," the foreign minister said, noting that "the future settlement will be achieved only via direct talks between the sides [the Israelis and the Palestinians - TASS]."
Earlier on Friday, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution recommending the UN Security Council to once again review the issue of admission of Palestine as a full UN member.
The resolution was supported by 143 states; 9 states, including Argentina, Hungary, Israel, the US and the Czech Republic, voted against; 25 states abstained. The adoption of the resolution was met with applause in the General Assembly hall.
The document includes nine clauses. In addition to the recommendation for the Security Council to discuss Palestine’s admission to the UN, it contains the idea that Palestine should be provided with a number of procedural rights of a full member state "on an exception basis and without creating a precedent."
At the same time, the document underscores that Palestine will remain an observer state and therefore will have no vote in the General Assembly, and its representatives will be unable to propose their candidacies to UN bodies.
The last direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians were interrupted 10 years ago, following nine months of futile attempts at rapprochement of positions. The previous round of a peace process also ended without results in 2010.
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