The United Nations General Assembly has voted in favour of upgrading
the Palestinians status to that of a non-member observer state. The vote was taken at a meeting of the body in New York, with 138
countries voting in favour of the upgrade. Nine countries voted against
it, and 41 others abstained.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered across the West Bank and Gaza to
demonstrate their support for the fresh attempt by President Mahmoud
Abbas to secure the status. Palestinians were previously listed as a UN observer "entity" with no voting rights.
The new status is an indirect recognition of the Palestinians' claims
on statehood in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. It allows
them to join a number of UN agencies, as well as the International
Criminal Court (ICC). Abbas addressed the General Assembly ahead of the vote.
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