Despite American and Israeli opposition, on Thursday the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to recognize Palestine as a non-member observer state, the same status that states like The Vatican possess.
Of the 193 UN member states, 138 supported Palestine in its bid for statehood. The United States, Israel, Canada and six other countries opposed the measure. Forty-one countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, abstained from the vote.
That status falls short of full recognition as a member state, as Palestine wanted, but the Unites States blocked that bid in the Security Council.
But celebrations were joyous in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the two Palestinian-controlled territories flanking Israel.
The new recognition gives Palestine a louder and more official voice at the UN. It will be able to join UN agencies and international organizations. And there is a possibility that, as a state, Palestine will be able to invoke its right of self-defense against any Israeli aggression.
"The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: Enough of aggression, settlements and occupation," said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking to the UN General Assembly.
The vote comes on the 65th anniversary of the establishment of Israel, formed as a Jewish homeland after the atrocities on World War II by splitting the then-British-controlled territory of Palestine into two.
"We did not come here seeking to delegitimize a state established years ago, and that is Israel; rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of the state that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine," said Abbas.
"We did not come here to add further complications to the peace process, which Israel's policies have thrown into the intensive care unit; rather we came to launch a final serious attempt to achieve peace," Abbas continued.
The United States reacted negatively to the news. "Today's unfortunate and counterproductive resolution places further obstacles in the path of peace," said United States ambassador to the UN Susan Rice.
"Today's grand pronouncements will soon fade and the Palestinian people will wake up tomorrow and find that little about their lives has changed save that the prospects of a durable peace have only receded," she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also weighed in, saying, "It won't advance the establishment of a Palestinian state, but rather, put it further off."
"Israel's hand is always extended in peace, but a Palestinian state will not be established without recognition of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, without an end-of-conflict declaration and without true security arrangements that will protect Israel and its citizens," he said.
There is speculation that many countries supported the measure in an effort to prop up the fading influence of Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority rules the West Bank but is at odds with Hamas, the militant Palestinian organization that controls the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is seen by many Palestinians as a stronger force, especially after the bloody rocket attacks exchanged between Gaza and Israel earlier this month.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
