In a United Nations General Assembly vote on Friday, 143 nations supported a UN resolution to give Palestinians more “rights and privileges.” The votes rebuffed US support for Israel in the ongoing Gaza conflict. Nine nations—including the US and Israel—voted against the resolution in the UN General Assembly’s Friday session, while 25 nations abstained.
The Assembly urged the Security Council to re-evaluate Palestine’s application to join the UN as its 194th member. Along with Israel and the United States, Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Papua New Guinea, voted against it.
With many nations expressing indignation at the rising death toll in Gaza and fears of a massive Israeli offensive in Rafah, a southern city where around 1.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge, the vote underscored the broad support for Palestine’s full membership in the UN.
The US has pushed other members to vote against the resolution prior to Friday’s vote. US mission to the UN spokesperson Nate Evans stated in a statement, “It will not end the fighting in Gaza or provide food, medicine, and shelter to civilians in Gaza—that is where US efforts are focused.”
The resolution seeks to grant Palestinians the right to fully participate in UN and international conferences, as well as to propose their own resolutions. It grants Palestine additional rights and advantages, but it also reiterates that it is still an observer state that is not a member of the United Nations and is not entitled to vote in the General Assembly or at any of its conventions.
Furthermore, the US has made it clear that until direct talks with Israel settle important problems like security, borders, and Jerusalem’s future and result in a two-state solution, it will not vote in favor of Palestinian membership or statehood.
