The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”.
The assembly adopted a resolution on Friday with 143 votes in favour and nine against – including the US and Israel – while 25 countries abstained. It does not give the Palestinians full UN membership, but simply recognises them as qualified to join.
This move does not grant Palestine full UN membeship but it does allow Palestine a seat among the UN members in the assembly hall – but it will not be granted a vote in the body.
The vote did not go down well with Isreal whose ambassador Gilad Erdan, condemned the vote and said the UN General Assembly was welcoming a “terror state” into the UN.
