New York: The 79th session of the UN General Assembly began in New York with Palestine taking its seat in the General Assembly Hall next to the UN member states. Although Palestine is not a full member of the 193-member UN body, the Palestinian Authority’s envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, was seen seated at a table labeled "State of Palestine", positioned between Sri Lanka and Sudan.
Israel has denounced the move. The representative of Israel said that the Assembly's decision in this matter is motivated by political favoritism, underscoring that UN membership and associated privileges are specifically reserved for sovereign States.
On May 10 this year, a resolution was adopted to recognize the reconsideration of Palestine's UN membership in the UN Security Council and the granting of additional rights to Palestine, which holds observer status. The resolution called for arrangements to allow Palestine to participate in General Assembly sessions, UN meetings, and conferences, specifying that this would be done "on an exceptional basis and without setting a precedent".
