UN General Assembly votes to back Palestinian bid for membership

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has endorsed a Palestinian request to qualify for full membership in the UN, urging the UN Security Council to “reconsider the matter favorably.”

In a vote held on Friday, the 193-member UNGA conducted a global assessment of support for the Palestinian bid to attain full UN membership, which had been blocked by the United States in the UN Security Council the previous month. The assembly passed a resolution on Friday with 143 votes in favor, nine against (including the US and Israel), and 25 abstentions. This resolution does not grant full UN membership to the Palestinians but acknowledges their eligibility to join.

The UNGA resolution “affirms that the State of Palestine … should therefore be admitted to membership” and “recommends that the Security Council reconsider the matter favorably.”

Although the UNGA lacks the authority to confer full UN membership, the adopted resolution on Friday will grant the Palestinians certain additional rights and privileges starting from September 2024, such as a seat among UN members in the assembly hall, although they will not have a vote in the body.