UN recognises Palestine as qualified for membership

The United Nations General Assembly has backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted a resolution that does not give Palestine full UN membership, but recognises them as qualified to join and extends rights.

The assembly adopted the resolution on Friday with 143 votes in favour and nine against – including the US and Israel – while 25 countries abstained. 

The vote by the General Assembly was a global survey of support for the Palestinian bid to become a full UN member – a move that would effectively recognise a Palestinian state – after the United States vetoed it in the UN Security Council last month.

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