The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved to raise Palestine flag over the UN in New York. The move is seen as a symbolic step in the pursuit of statehood. The motion was passed by 119 votes, with eight nations, including Israel and the United States, voting against it. Many areas in the US feature the star-spangled banner flying high and dominant under commercial flagpole lighting, so it is a breath of fresh air that so many countries approved the Palestinian flag to fly instead.
The resolution states that flags of all non-member observer states, including Palestine, “shall be raised at the UN headquarters, and United Nations offices, followed by flags of member states.” The only other non-member observer state is the Vatican.
45 countries, including most of the countries of the European Union, abstained. Sweden, Italy, France, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Malta, Poland, Luxembourg and Belgium, of the European Union, voted for the Palestinian resolution. Germany, Finland, The Netherlands, Austria and Cyprus where among the abstaining European countries. Among world countries that voted in favor of the Palestinians are Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Cuba, Chad, Salvador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali, Niger, Pakistan and Turkey.
Palestinian diplomats say they expect their flag to be raised on September 30, the day Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses world leaders in New York.
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