By Nur Asena Erturk -
Belgium, Denmark and Spain welcomed on Friday a UN resolution calling for the reevaluation of Palestine's UN membership bid.
“We voted in favor and sponsored the resolution on the status of Palestine at the @UN,” Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib wrote on X. “The signal sent by Belgium is clear. Palestine must have its full place in international forums. This is an essential step towards a two-state solution and a credible peace process.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, according to the ministry on X: “Today we are giving Palestine a stronger voice at the @UN. I hope today's resolution can be a beacon of hope for the future of the Palestinian people in these dark times.”
Rasmussen vowed Denmark’s continuous support for a two-state solution.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares wrote on X, that his country “has co-sponsored and voted in favor, along with 142 countries, of the resolution for Palestine to be a full member @UN.
“We celebrate its approval at the @ONU_es General Assembly,” he added and emphasized that the “two-state solution with the recognition of the Palestinian state is the path to peace.”
The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution Friday calling for the reevaluation of Palestine's UN membership bid and granting additional rights.
The resolution, which was spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates (on behalf of the Arab Group), was adopted by an overwhelming consensus with 143 member states voting in favor, nine against and 25 abstentions.
Co-sponsored by Türkiye along with nearly 80 member states, the resolution expressed "deep regret and concern" for a veto by the US at the UN Security Council on April 18.
- Conflict in Mideast
The Israeli army on Tuesday stormed and occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, closing the Palestinians' only gateway to the world.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed less than 1,200 people.
More than 34,900 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and 78,514 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.