Palestine votes at UN General Assembly

Palestine has cast its first vote at the United Nations General Assembly, taking another step toward becoming a full member of the UN.

“This is an important step in our march for freedom and independence and full membership of the United Nations,” said Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour on Monday.

“I think that this is a very, very special moment in the history of the struggle of the Palestinian people at the United Nations,” Mansour said, adding, “It is another step for strengthening the pillars of… Palestine in the international arena.”

“It (the vote) is an important one because it reflects that the international community, particularly the General Assembly, is hungry and waiting for…Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations,” he said.

On November 29, 2012, the UN General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel and the US.

One hundred and thirty-eight voted in favor of the measure, nine against and 41 abstained.

The move followed a failed bid to join the international body as a full member state in 2011 because of a lack of support in the UN Security Council.

On October 31, 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization General Conference in Paris admitted Palestine as its 195th member state, with 107 votes in favor, 14 votes against, and 52 abstentions.