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

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00:00 This is certainly a boost for the Palestinians because it shows a flood of international

00:03 support for them. The resolution essentially upgrades their rights here at the United Nations

00:08 but it doesn't give them full UN membership. The US vetoed that initiative last month in

00:13 the UN Security Council. So this General Assembly resolution determines that a state of Palestine

00:20 is qualified for membership. And it gives the Palestinians the right to propose agenda

00:24 items, to speak in debates and to speak on all issues, not just those related to the

00:29 Palestinians. It also gives them the right to be elected as officers in the Assembly's

00:33 main committees. It does not, however, give them the right to vote here at the UN. So

00:38 essentially it's symbolic. Well, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour was almost moved

00:43 to tears as he spoke on the podium in the General Assembly Hall on Friday. He said that

00:47 there had never been a more significant vote. The United States, Israel's ally here at the

00:53 UN, was one of the nine countries that voted against this resolution. The US argues that

00:59 pushing for Palestinian membership here at the United Nations is not helpful because

01:03 a two-state solution should be broken through negotiations, direct negotiations between

01:07 the Israelis and the Palestinians. Now, Israel's ambassador was furious about this vote. He

01:13 accused the UN of inviting modern-day Nazis into its fold and said that Churchill would

01:17 be turning in his grave. The Israelis are well known for using props here at the UN

01:22 when they speak. And Gilad Erdan brought along a mini wireless shredder to shred the UN

01:28 charter to show his opposition. Now, one question that remains is how this vote is going to

01:33 impact US funding to the UN. Washington can't actually fund any UN organisation that grants

01:37 full membership to the Palestinians. The US cut funding to UNESCO back in 2011 after the

01:43 Palestinians joined as a full member. Yet this GA resolution doesn't actually give full

01:47 membership to the Palestinians. However, a group of Republican senators has now introduced

01:51 this bill to tighten those restrictions and to cut off funding to any entity giving rights

01:57 and privileges to the Palestinians. That bill is, however, not likely to pass in the

02:03 Senate, which is controlled by the Democrats.

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