Pirate's Cove

So, um, what actual nation would this be?

UN assembly approves resolution granting Palestine new rights and reviving its UN membership bid

The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on Friday to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to reconsider Palestine’s request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.

The 193-member world body approved the Arab and Palestinian-sponsored resolution by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions. The United States voted against the resolution, along with Israel, Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Papua New Guinea.

The vote reflected the wide global support for full membership of Palestine in the United Nations, with many countries expressing outrage at the escalating death toll in Gaza and fears of a major Israeli offensive in Rafah, a southern city where about 1.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge.

But while it gives Palestine some new rights and privileges, it reaffirms that it remains a non-member observer state without the right to vote in the General Assembly or at any of its conferences. And the United States has made clear that it will block Palestinian membership and statehood until direct negotiations with Israel resolve key issues, including security, boundaries and the future of Jerusalem.

The Palestinians could have their own nation in Gaza if they’d kick Hamas out, stop attacking Israel, and just be peaceful.

Under the U.N. Charter, prospective members of the United Nations must be “peace-loving” and the Security Council must recommend their admission to the General Assembly for final approval. Palestine became a U.N. non-member observer state in 2012.

But unlike in the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the General Assembly. The resolution required a two-thirds majority of members voting and got significantly more than the 118 vote minimum.

The resolution “determines” that a state of Palestine is qualified for membership — dropping the original language that in the General Assembly’s judgment it is “a peace-loving state.” It therefore recommends that the Security Council reconsider its request “favorably.”

In other words, the UN knows that Palestinians are anything but peace-loving. Just like all the Arab nations won’t take the Palestinians in because they are problematic.

Under longstanding legislation by the U.S. Congress, the United States is required to cut off funding to U.N. agencies that give full membership to a Palestinian state, which could mean a cutoff in dues and voluntary contributions to the U.N. from its largest contributor.

I’m sure Biden will find a way around that.

These are the 25 who abstained

Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Fiji, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Paraguay, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vanuatu.

It’s disappointing. Even more disappointing in Australia voting to legitimize the terrorists. As well as Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark, France, and Poland. You’d think those last three would understand the danger of legitimizing essentially Nazis.