The United Nations (UN) General Assembly in a vote 143 to 9 on Friday recognized Palestine as effectively its own state and backed its bid to join the UN as a full-fledged member. Canada, along with 24 other countries, abstained from the vote. Palestine now will have certain rights and privileges as of September 2024, including a seat in the assembly hall. It will not, however, be allowed to vote in the UN body. Palestine had recently implored the UN Security Council to “reconsider the matter favourably” recognizing it as a qualified nation to join the international conglomeration. The General Assembly, which currently has 193 member countries, overwhelmingly backed Palestine despite a veto from the United States in April. Israel also objected to the general assembly’s move to recognize Palestine. Global Affairs Canada in a statement said the government is committed to a two-state solution in Gaza. ”It is clear we must urgently build a credible path to achieving the two-state solution, one that gives hope to both Palestinians and Israelis that they may live side by side in peace, security, and dignity,” wrote officials. “That process cannot indefinitely delay the creation of a Palestinian state.”“Canada is prepared to recognize the State of Palestine at the time most conducive to lasting peace, not necessarily as the last step along that path.”The UN founding charter states all countries to join the organization must be “peace-loving states” and adhere to all rules and policies within the charter. Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the assembly prior to the vote, “We want peace, we want freedom.”“A yes vote is a vote for Palestinian existence, it is not against any state. … It is an investment in peace. Voting yes is the right thing to do,” he said. “As long as so many of you are ‘Jew-hating,’ you don’t really care that the Palestinians are not ‘peace-loving’,” US Ambassador Gilad Erdan said, per the Globe and Mail. Holding up a small shredder and running through it a copy of the UN charter, Edran accused the assembly of “shredding” the historic document. “Shame on you,” said Erdan, who earlier this week stated should Paelstine’s UN bid be approved, he expected Biden’s White House would cut funding to the UN and its affiliates. For a nation to be approved to become a member country of the UN, it first must go through the Security Council, which has 15 members, and then the General Assembly. US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told the assembly after the vote that these steps would not result in a two-state solution, thought the US is not opposed to one.“Our vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood; we have been very clear that we support it and seek to advance it meaningfully. Instead, it is an acknowledgment that statehood will only come from a process that involves direct negotiations between the parties,” said Wood.
