Palestine has taken its place among member states at the United Nations General Assembly for the first time, a symbolic move from the rear of the chamber as an observer state.
The Palestinian delegation was seated alphabetically alongside full UN members at the 79th GA session in New York, which opened on Tuesday.
Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN, took his place on Tuesday afternoon at a table marked State of Palestine. On May 10 this year, the Palestinian delegation was granted additional rights, including being seated with member states, the right to introduce proposals and agenda items, and participate in committees, but not the right to vote.
The move was confirmed during the session's opening when Egypt's UN Ambassador Osama Abdel Khalek asked for verification of Palestine's new seating arrangement.
"I request you to confirm with the Secretariat that His Excellency Ambassador Riyad Mansour, the distinguished permanent representative of the State of Palestine, is seated among the member states accordingly," said Osama Abdel Khalek, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN.
"I have been informed that all arrangements have been made to have Palestine seated where it's supposed to sit," said Philemon Yang, the General Assembly's President.
After the meeting, Mansour was greeted by a long queue of delegates from other member states offering their congratulations.
"I feel great, this is a historic moment, it is a significant step in acquiring our right, legal right, natural right to become a full member ... there was a long line of people coming to our seat extending their congratulations. We appreciate that and we cherish that," Mansour said after the opening meeting of the session.
In September 2011, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applied to then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for an upgrade of Palestine's status in the UN General Assembly from observer to full member State.
In 2012, Palestine's observer status was changed from "non-member observer entity" to "non-member observer state".
Palestine has been a Permanent Observer State at the UNGA since then, enjoying the status that allows it to participate in all of the Organization’s proceedings, except for voting on draft resolutions and decisions in its main organs and bodies, from the Security Council to the General Assembly and its six main committees.
The seating change came amid ongoing tensions in the region. The Office of the President of the General Assembly announced on Friday that an emergency special session on the Israel-Palestine conflict will resume on Sept 17, following requests from Syria, Mauritania and Uganda.
The General Assembly will vote on a draft resolution on the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory. This draft resolution demands that Israel immediately end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory 12 months after the adoption of the resolution.
According to the relevant resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1950, when a major international incident occurs and the Security Council is unable to fulfill its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security due to lack of consensus among its permanent members, the General Assembly shall immediately hold an emergency special session to consider the matter.
Palestine seated among member states at UN General Assembly
Palestine seated among member states at UN General Assembly
