The United Nations General Assembly has voted to enhance Palestine's rights and privileges within the organization, calling for the Palestinian territories to be accepted as a full member state.
In a resolution passed on Friday, the 193-member General Assembly approved measures allowing Palestine to participate more fully in UN debates, propose resolutions, co-sponsor proposals, and have its officials elected to committees. However, it still will not grant Palestinians full voting rights, which requires approval from the UN Security Council.
The move comes after the US recently vetoed a bid by Palestine for full UN membership at the Security Council, where it is one of five permanent veto-wielding members. Other powers such as China and Russia supported the Palestinian application.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the resolution, stating it supports further efforts to obtain full state membership through another Security Council vote. Meanwhile, Israel's UN ambassador Gilad Erdan dramatically shredded a copy of the UN charter during his speech, accusing members of welcoming a "terror state" into the ranks.
The resolution can be seen as a symbolic gesture of support for Palestinian statehood ambitions amid reports that several European Union countries plan to officially recognize a State of Palestine in the coming weeks. This includes Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Malta, according to the EU's foreign policy chief.
Palestine currently has non-member observer state status at the UN, which was upgraded from an observer entity in 2012 but falls short of full representation. The Palestinian Authority governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while the Hamas militant group controls Gaza. Most countries view the territories as comprising a future independent Palestinian state alongside Israel under a two-state solution, though peace talks have stalled for years.
Israel opposes an independent Palestinian state, citing security threats, while the US has backed a negotiated two-state solution. However, the current Israeli government has expanded Jewish settlements in the West Bank, drawing fierce Palestinian and international condemnation.
