Palestinian Flag. Photograph by Jean-François Gornet
The UN General Assembly has voted to grant the Palestinians non-member observer state status. There was overwhelming support for the upgraded status with 138-9 voting in favour, and 41 nations abstaining including the UK. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the assembly the vote was the “last chance to save the two-state solution” with Israel and a chance to give Palestine a “Birth certificate” like that offered to Israel in resolution 181 in 1947.
The resolution is a symbolic milestone for Palestinians and elevates the status of Palestine from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state”, the same category as the Vatican. Palestinians hope this will offer better leverage in their dealings with Israel in the future in creating a state in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, the lands captured by Israel in the 1967 war.
Both the US and Israel voted against the resolution, with the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, saying that the bid “doesn’t advance peace – it pushes it backwards” and continuing that “the only way to reach peace is through agreements” between Israel and Palestine and not through the UN.
US Ambassador Susan Rice spoke out against the resolution, saying “this resolution does not establish that Palestine is a state” as far as the United States is concerned.
[note background=”#FFFFCC”]Which countries voted “no” or abstained?
No: US, Israel, Panama, Palau, Canada, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Czech Republic, Micronesia
Abstentions: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Estonia, Fiji, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malawi, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Poland, Korea, Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, UK, Vanuatu[/note]
#Palestine #UNbid went down like this: Green yes, Red No, Grey abstained. Last minute surprise was "Yes" from Japan pic.twitter.com/hKw6QU0a
— Noah Browning (@sheikhNB) November 29, 2012
