Palestine UN Upgrade: Non-Member State

Local Editor

Palestine received an upgrade in the UN's General Assembly on Thursday from observer entity to "non-member state", raising deep concerns in "Israel" and the US Administration about the implications of this upgrade.
The 193 UN member states voted on Thursday in the General Assembly for the Palestinian authority's status upgrade; 138 voted yes, 9 voted no, and 41 abstained.

Palestinians considered this to be a victory, hoping that it will further be upgraded to full member state.

Palestinians now have access to UN agencies and the International Criminal Court to file complaints against "Israel" and will participate in debates at the UN.
President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas told the General Assembly before voting that it was "being asked today to issue the birth certificate of Palestine."

Furthermore, "Islamic Jihad Movement" leader Khaled Batesh accentuated that "Jihad" holds on to the Palestinian right to retrieve occupied lands, underscoring that Jihad's support of the UN initiative doesn't include compromising with "Israel" to admit its validity of the occupied territories of 1967.

In this context, Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi saw that "the national consensus toward this fateful step will enhance domestic unity."

Also, Fatah Revolutionary Council Deputy Secretary-General, Sabri Saidam stated, "no country is allowed to impose terms in supporting Palestine's request of statehood," in an implication to Washington's threat.
Hamas, moreover, welcomed the non-member status, where senior Hamas official Ahmed Yussef declared it to be a "new victory on the road to liberating Palestine and we congratulate ourselves."

Hamas official in exile Izzat al-Rishq, also praised the general assembly vote on his Facebook page, stating that, "We welcome the decision of the UN general assembly to grant Palestine non-member observer state status, and we consider this to be a gain for our people, although Palestine deserves more than that."
On another note, "Israeli" PM Benyamin Netanyahu reiterated that the UN General Assembly's decision in Palestine's status upgrade will not change anything.
He further linked between Palestine's statehood to the validity of "Israel's" statehood, inviting to end the conflict and arrange security measures.
Moreover, West Bank and Gaza Strip witnessed popular activity to support the Palestinian demand, where national groups organized marches and processions.
In Ramallah, tens of Palestinians participated in a central festival in support of Mahmoud Abbas's initiative in the UN.

Office work hours in the Bank's governmental circles were suspended after 10:30 am so all employees could participate in the central festivals.

Source: al-Ahed News, translated and edited by moqawama.org