138 voted in favor while 9 voted in against in UN General Assembly in a historic turn of events. Palestine has become a non-member observer state in UN. 41 nations refrained from voting in the process.
65 years ago on Nov 29,1947, the vote was held in the United Nations General Assembly that partitioned Jewish and Arab states after the British rule, hence the formation of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948.
65 years later status of Palestine is upgraded to non-member observer state, which will give the country a recognition to Palestinian statehood and increases PA's chances of joining other UN bodies. It also allows the Palestinian Authority to challenge the continuing construction of Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian land in the International Criminal Court.
Decades of tension and violence have occurred after the split, hopefully this moves will change it. However Israel does not feel so.
Israel and US were in strong opposition of this move. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau called the vote "meaningless", and said that Mr Abbas' address in New York had not been "the words of a man who wants peace".
US said the move was "unfortunate".
President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine submitted Palestine's official application for recognition as an independent state in the UN in September 2011. That bid was blocked by a US veto in the Security Council.
However this time it was not the case.
Abbas urged the members before the voting to issue the birth certificate of Palestine. Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip greeted the Thursday vote with high jubilation as it formally gives them global recognition.
The Palestinian Authority, which earlier enjoyed a "permanent observer" status at the UN, now joins the Vatican as the only other entity with non-member observer state status.
(with inputs from IANS)
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