Palestine is officially recognized in the Untied Nations.
With 138 voting Yes, nine for No, and 41 abstaining, Palestine will receive Observer State status in the UN. The voting occurred a few minutes before 5 p.m. EST.
The announcement saw applause and cheers from the General Assembly Hall with Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas receiving hugs from delegations near him.
Shortly before the vote, it was announced Member States Angola, Azerbaijan, Grenada, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam were co-sponsors in the draft resolution known as "Status of Palestine in the United Nations."
Voting 'No' included Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Panama, and the United States.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke following the vote and stated the vote could work in favor of peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
US Ambassador Susan Rice spoke to the General Assembly Hall stating that peace can only happen between Israel and Palestine. She added that today's vote was "counterproductive." She added that the vote does not mean Palestine is a "state" and it will change nothing in the peace process.
As an Observer State, Palestine will not be able to vote on documents but will be able to speak on matters. Other Observer States include the Holy See, also known as Vatican City. Palestine, however, does have access to report Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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