The United Nations general Assembly has voted to grant Palestine non-member observer state status.
The vote has seen Palestine's position at the UN enhanced from "permanent observer" to "non-member observer state" status, with the assembly voting 138-9 in favour, with 41 nations abstaining.
President of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation,Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived to a standing ovation at the UN said,
"Palestine has come to the United Nations because it believes in peace and because its people are in desperate need of peace,"
"The international community is now the last chance to save the two-state solution. We did not come here to complicate the peace process. The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: enough Israeli aggression, settlements and occupation."
"Sixty-five years ago on this day, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 181, which partitioned the land of historic Palestine into two states and became the birth certificate for Israel... The General Assembly is called upon today to issue a birth certificate of the reality of the State of Palestine".
Meanwhile, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, said "the only way to reach peace is through agreements" between the two parties, slamming the vote. He commented,
"No decision by the UN can break the 4,000-year-old bond between the people of Israel and the land of Israel."
The United States strongly criticised the Palestinian decision to take the issue to the United Nations with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling the vote "unfortunate and counter-productive".
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague meanwhile expressed "regret" at not voting in favour of the resolutiopn and explained their decision to abstain from the vote, stating,
“We respect the course of action chosen by President Abbas and the result at the UN General Assembly tonight."
“We continue to believe that the prospects for a swift return to negotiations on a two state solution - the only way to create a Palestinian state on the ground - would be greater today if President Abbas had been able to give the assurances we suggested, and without which we were unable to vote in favour of the resolution."
“Nonetheless, we will redouble our efforts to restart the peace process, and will continue our strong support for President Abbas, the Palestinian Authority, and a two state solution."
Amongst the many countries voting in favour of Palestine being recognised as a non-member observer state was Sri Lanka.
