Palestinians take new seat at UN General Assembly

Palestinians took a seat among member states at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, a new right accorded to the delegation despite not being a full member of the body.

In May, an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly asserted that Palestinians deserved full membership, a move that has been blocked by the United States.

The General Assembly granted the delegation certain new rights in a resolution, which still excluded it from being able to vote or be a member of the Security Council.

Starting with the 79th General Assembly session, which began Tuesday, the Palestinians can submit proposals and amendments, and sit among member states.

The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, took his place on Tuesday afternoon at a table marked "State of Palestine" between Sri Lanka and Sudan.

"This is not merely a procedural matter. This is a historic moment for us," said Egyptian Ambassador Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud.

Just as during the resolution's adoption, Israel denounced the move.

"Any decision and or action that improves the status of the Palestinians, either in the UN General Assembly or bilaterally, is currently a reward... for terrorism in general and the Hamas terrorists in particular," said Jonathan Miller, deputy Israel ambassador to the United Nations.

In April, following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Palestinians, who have had "non-member observer state" status since 2012, relaunched a full membership bid.

Full membership would not only need a vote by the General Assembly but would also require a Security Council recommendation.

The United States, Israel's staunch ally, vetoed a Security Council recommendation on the matter on April 18.