UN General Assembly grants a representative seat to Palestine at its 79th session.

On Tuesday, there served as a critical turning point at the United Nations General Assembly, enabling Palestine an observer’s chair at its 79th session even while Israel boycotts Palestinian statehood. This may be considered the beginning and a historic moment for Palestine as it advances on the path of the establishment of its state recognition. 

 Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to the United Nations, sat between Sri Lanka and Sudan at the United Nations General Assembly with a placard “State of Palestine” indicating the new recognition. The Palestinian Permanent Mission to the UN posted videos which show the Egyptian Ambassador and the President of the General Assembly, Philemon Yang, confirming the new seating arrangement of the Palestinian delegation. 

 Speaking on the adoption of the new name, Mansour noted that it can not be a mere procedure but a history of the Institutions. Currently the leadership of The State of Palestine should be allowed the right of being among the full member states of the General Assembly. 

 Israel strongly protested against the decision, saying that only official members of the United Nations should be granted full membership privileges. Jonathan Miller, the deputy ambassador of Israel to the United Nations, criticised it, saying that it encourages what he qualified as terrorism, which included Hamas. 

 The seating for the Palestinian delegation takes place given the fact that there were earlier controversies over the recognition of the Palestinian state. The declaration of the State of Palestine by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1988 is recognised by 145 of the 193 member states of the United Nations. However, Israel and its main ally- the USA, remain indifferent to the recognition of the state of Palestine. 

Yang chairs the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly, and the members are engaged in matters that affect the world at large, such as the ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Haiti, and Ukraine, as well as poverty, inequality, and climatic change, among others. Although Palestine still needs to become a full member of the UN, its representatives are still in the process of applying for full membership, whereby it will be endowed with more privileges, including the chance to introduce amendments and even resolutions at the assembly. 

 On 14 May 2024, the General Assembly adopted a resolution to bring back the question of Palestine to the UN Security Council for a reconsideration of the full membership option. This resolution received quite an approval, with 143 members voting in affirmation of it. In contrast, 9 countries, including Israel and the United States, voted against it, with 25 other member nations choosing to abstain. 

 However, to get full membership in the UN, there is a need for a recommendation from the Security Council and a certification from the General Assembly in a vote. However, earlier efforts have been fettered as the U.S. was able to use its vote to ban Palestine from being upgraded to a member state status. 

 The General Assembly, in the 79th session, is all set to pass a vote on yet another Palestinian-drafted resolution that calls for Israel to quit Palestinian territories within the space of 6 months, further spiking the conflict between Israel and Palestine.