The UN General Assembly (UNGA) convened in New York on Thursday, May 16, for an emergency special session on the Gaza crisis and, by a large majority, passed a resolution upgrading Palestine’s rights as an Observer State, without offering it full membership. The overwhelming global support for Palestine was accompanied by a request to the UN Security Council (UNSC) to favorably consider its request for full statehood. With this resolution, Palestine will enjoy more rights at the UN, though it will not get the right to vote or stand for elections to UN organs.

With effect from September 10, when the UNGA begins its next session, the Palestinian state will no longer be on the fringes. It will be seated with other member states in alphabetical order and can co-sponsor proposals and amendments. Palestinian representatives can also be elected as officers in the plenary and Main Committees of the UNGA. This move is of immense symbolic value, but it does not alleviate the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people. Of pressing importance are a ceasefire in Gaza, a huge boost in humanitarian aid and the safe return of Israeli hostages.

The grant of full membership to Palestine should take place along with a ceasefire. The 25 nations that abstained and the nine, led by the US, that said ‘no’ failed to undermine the support extended by 143 nations. The world, especially the Global South, cannot afford the blowback that is emerging from the recurring bouts of conflict in the region. Last month, the only opposition to a UNSC resolution on statehood for Palestine came from the US. With its university campuses in turmoil, America should see which way the wind is blowing domestically as well.
(Tribune, India)