On Friday, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution to recognize Palestine as a state and give them full-member status. While the United States and Israel opposed the motion, the 143-to-9 margin with 25 countries abstaining represents a symbolic but significant overture to the Palestinian cause. Now the vote moves to the UN Security Council.
The resolution “determines that the State of Palestine … should therefore be admitted to membership” and it “recommends that the Security Council reconsider the matter favorably.”
The Assembly erupted into applause as it passed the resolution prepared by the United Arab Emirates, which currently chairs the UN Arab Group.
The US had previously vetoed a similar resolution before the Security Council in April. As the Associated Press reported at the time, official statehood recognition has been a longstanding goal for the Palestinians, and an effort that Israel has sought to undermine.
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“We want peace, we want freedom,” Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the assembly ahead of the vote. “A yes vote is a vote for Palestinian existence, it is not against any state. … It is an investment in peace […] Voting yes is the right thing to do,” he said to much applause.
“The US is resigned to having another bad day at the UN,” said UN expert Richard Gowan, who works at the International Crisis Group, a conflict prevention organization. However, he added the resolution “gives the Palestinians a boost without creating a breakdown over whether they are or are not now UN members.”
In April, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) released a demand calling on Israeli security forces to cease operations in the West Bank, claiming that the soldiers are aiding Israeli settlers in their attacks on Palestinians.
This came after a surge of attacks on Palestinian villages after a 14-year-old Israeli boy was killed in a “militant attack.” While the conflicts in Gaza against Hamas and along the northern border against Hezbollah have raged on, the West Bank has served as a third theater of the war, seeing Israeli “settlers” ganging up on Palestinians to take their lands. According to the UN, 418 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the October 7th attack; they claim 407 were killed by Israeli forces. These killings have increased in frequency: 109 Palestinians have been killed since January 1st, 2024. Over 4,680 have received casualties, including 722 children.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics and business for VT and a regular guest on The Unusual Suspects. Follow Shane’s work here.
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