Vote allows Palestinian flag to be raised at UN

The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted in favour of a motion allowing the Palestinian flag to be flown in front of UN buildings. Israel strongly opposed the move and urged member states to vote against it.

The motion was passed by 119 votes, with Israel and the US among the eight countries that voted against.

Palestinian representative to the UN Riyad Mansour said ahead of the vote it would be “another step” towards solidifying Palestinian statehood.

The move comes amid growing momentum to recognise Palestinian statehood, with several states showing their support in the past year.

In May, the Vatican signed its first formal bilateral treaty recognising Palestinian statehood.

The motion called for the flags of non-member observer states like the Palestinian territories to follow the flags of member states outside UN offices.

It also means the flag of the Vatican – the only other non-member observer state – can now be raised. The resolution gives 20 days for the motion to be implemented.

BBC

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