The United Nations General Assembly approved this Friday a resolution that calls for the full incorporation of Palestine as a member state of the organization and that, while waiting for this possible step, gives the Palestinians more voice, despite the frontal complaints expressed by the Government of Israel.

The resolution, co-sponsored by dozens of countries, including Spain, has gone ahead with 143 votes in favor, nine against -among them Israel, the United States, Hungary, Argentina and the Czech Republic- and 25 abstentions.

The text, promoted after the US veto in the Security Council of the full incorporation of Palestine, proposes “additional rights and privileges.” Palestine is part of the UN as a non-member observer state, at the same level as the Vatican, but with this initiative it will have more representation and voice – not a vote – within the Assembly.

The resolution further states that “the State of Palestine is qualified for membership” and “recommends that the Security Council reconsider the matter”, although it cannot force said body to do so. Likewise, it “reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”, which includes their “right to an independent State of Palestine” and “the end of the Israeli occupation.”

The promoting countries, however, have introduced a nuance within the articles to make it clear that this gesture towards the Palestinians is “exceptional” and “does not set a precedent”, given the apparent fear of certain powers that other territories whose sovereignty still remains in dispute, such as Taiwan and Kosovo, can also demand a comparable framework.

The US is justified

The United States deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, has alleged that The North American country is in favor of the “two-state solution” to resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, but considers that initiatives such as the one voted on in the Assembly do not allow progress towards this objective.

“Statehood will only come with a process of direct negotiations between the parties,” Wood stressed to justify the American ‘no’, during a speech in which he advocated working so that the Gaza Strip is not “a platform for terrorism.” “and that there is also no new “occupation” of said enclave by Israel.

Before the vote, the Israeli ambassador, Gilad Erdan, had already strongly criticized the resolution, alleging that the survival of the United Nations Charter is at stake. In this sense, he has criticized the initiatives aimed at recognizing the Palestinian State since, in his opinion, it implies a “gift” to Hamas, “the Hitlers of our time.”