On Friday, the UN General Assembly gathered for an emergency session on the situation in the Middle East, particularly in connection with «illegal Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.» UN website reports.
During the session, delegates adopted a resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates on the membership of Palestine in the UN.
The document expands the rights of the State of Palestine in the General Assembly, but does not grant it the right to vote or nominate itself for membership in the United Nations bodies.
«The General Assembly, according to the charter, cannot grant full membership status in the UN — it needs a recommendation from the Security Council to do so. The Council at its April meeting was unable to give such a recommendation due to the U.S. veto,» the statement says.
The adopted resolution notes that the State of Palestine meets the requirements for membership and recommends that the Security Council «reconsider this issue positively.»
As Reuters reports, 143 members of the General Assembly voted for the resolution, 9 — against, other 25 states abstained. It is pointed out that for the resolution to be adopted, it was necessary for at least two-thirds of the participating countries to vote for it.
According to the resolution, Palestine may be given the rights to include itself in the list of speakers at meetings on Middle East issues, propose amendments and make procedural proposals on behalf of a group of states. It could also be given a permanent seat in the GA meeting room.
Since 2012, the General Assembly has decided to grant Palestine non-member observer state status at the UN. Prior to that, Palestine only had observer status in the General Assembly, but not as a state.
