In a dramatic turn of events at the United Nations, Israel's ambassador, Gilad Erdan, shredded a mock copy of the UN charter during a speech before the General Assembly as they voted on Palestinian membership. The vote came after weeks of escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine following Hamas attacks in southern Israel.
The United States promised to vote against any resolution granting full UN membership to the Palestinians, maintaining that it supports Palestinian statehood but believes it should come from a process involving direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The US Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, stated that their vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood.
Despite this setback for the Palestinians, they have received significant support from other countries. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, announced that 144 countries have now recognized the state of Palestine.
The original draft of the resolution was changed significantly to address concerns from major powers such as Russia and China. The UN General Assembly voted to grant new rights and privileges to Palestine and called on the Security Council to reconsider their request for membership in the United Nations.
Israel, which opposes Palestinian membership, was not alone in its vote against the resolution. Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Papua New Guinea also voted against it. France, Japan, South Korea and other countries abstained from the vote.
The UN charter shredding incident by Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan sparked outrage among many delegates at the General Assembly. The United States Mission to the UN issued a statement saying 'THIS IS A TURNING POINT.'