UN General Assembly Upgrades Palestine Status in Overwhelming Vote

November 29, 2012 from Euronews

The UN General Assembly has decided to upgrade Palestine from an observer to non-member status. There was joy from many inside the Assembly in New York, especially from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The 193 member states voted overwhelmingly in favor, with 138 in favor, 41 abstentions and nine voting no -- the most prominent of which came from Israel and the US. Even before voting began, there were already celebrations on the streets of Ramallah. Now Palestinians are more happy about a decision they imagine could bring them a step closer to an independent state. Perhaps it is fitting that the ballot that went in their favor was held on Palestinian Solidarity Day.

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Palestinian state

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Mahmoud Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas, also known by the kunya Abu Mazen, an Arab of the Sunni-Muslim faith, has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket. Mahmoud... Explore this topic

Palestine

Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn, Filisṭīn; Greek: Παλαιστίνη, Palaistinē; Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina) is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various ad... Explore this topic

UN General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. Its powers are to oversee the budget of the United Nations, appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Co... Explore this topic

Israel

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a parliamentary democracy in the Middle East, on the south-eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwes... Explore this topic

Palestinian National Authority

The Palestinian Authority, is the interim self-government body established to govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a consequence of the 1994 Oslo Accords. Since its establishment in 1994, it has renamed itself the Palestinian National Authority and in 2013, after the United ... Explore this topic

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the early 20th century. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between the Zionist yishuv and the ... Explore this topic

Two-state solution

The two-state solution refers to the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict currently under discussion, which calls for "two states for two peoples". The two-state solution envisages the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel in t... Explore this topic

Palestinians

The Culture of Palestine is closely related to those of the nearby Levantine countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, and the Arab World. Cultural contributions to the fields of art, literature, music, costume and cuisine express the Palestinian experience despite the geo... Explore this topic

United Nations General Assembly observers

In addition to its 193 member states, the United Nations welcomes many international organizations, entities, and non-member states as observers. Observer status is granted by a United Nations General Assembly resolution. The status of a Permanent Observer is based purely on p... Explore this topic

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Euronews | Nov 29

The UN General Assembly's vote to uprade Palestine's status was swiftly condemned by the US and Israel -- two of only nine nations that voted no. A...