Israel to convene ambassadors of UN states supporting Palestinian membership
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Tel Aviv: Israel has announced its intention to call in the ambassadors of countries that endorsed the full Palestinian membership at the United Nations for "protest talks" this coming Sunday, according to a statement from a foreign ministry spokesperson.
This move follows the Palestinian Authority's declaration of intent to "reconsider" its ties with the United States. This declaration came after Washington used its veto earlier in the week to thwart the Palestinian bid for UN membership.
During Thursday's vote, a resolution advocating full Palestinian membership received support from 12 nations on the UN Security Council. Additionally, Britain and Switzerland chose to abstain. The United States, a strong ally of Israel, stood alone in voting against the resolution, effectively blocking its passage.
On Saturday, Oren Marmorstein, the Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson, outlined the ministry's plans regarding the summoned ambassadors. "The ambassadors of France, Japan, South Korea, Malta, the Slovak Republic, and Ecuador will be summoned tomorrow for a demarche, and a strong protest will be presented to them," Marmorstein stated in a post on X.
He further added, "An identical protest will be presented to additional countries."
Marmorstein conveyed the firm message that the ambassadors will receive: "A political gesture to the Palestinians and a call to recognise a Palestinian state – six months after the October 7 massacre – is a prize for terrorism, reported AFP.
The proposed resolution aimed to recommend to the General Assembly that "the State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations," upgrading its current status from "non-member observer state," a status it has held since 2012.
According to Palestinian records, a significant majority of the UN's 193 member states, totaling 137, have acknowledged the existence of a Palestinian state.