| Number: | ES-10/23 |
| Code: | A/ES-10/23 |
| Document: | https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4046991 |
| Organ: | GA |
| Date: | 10 May |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Meeting: | 10th Emergency Special Session (continuation) |
| Subject: | Admission of new Members to the United Nations |
| For: | 143 |
| Against: | 9 |
| Abstention: | 25 |
| Absent: | 16 |
| Result: | Adopted |
United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/23 is a resolution of the tenth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly which upgrades Palestine's rights in the United Nations as an Observer State, without offering full membership. It urged the Security Council to give "favourable consideration" to Palestine's request. According to the resolution, the Palestinian mission will now have the right to sit in the General Assembly among other states in alphabetical order, rather than in its current observer seat at the back of the chamber. But the resolution also makes plain that "the State of Palestine, in its capacity as an observer State, does not have the right to vote in the General Assembly or to put forward its candidature to United Nations organs".
The resolution passed with 143 countries voting in favour, 25 abstaining, 16 non-voting, and nine voting against. The nine countries that opposed the resolution were Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the United States.[1] [2] [3]
The additional rights and privileges of afforded to the State of Palestine are as follows:[4]
The State of Palestine will continue not to have the right to vote in the General Assembly or to put forward its candidature to United Nations organs.[4]
| Agree (143) 70 countries co-sponsored the resolution | Abstention (25) | Oppose (9) | No vote (16) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania Austria Bulgaria Canada ★ Croatia Fiji Finland Georgia Germany ★ Italy ★ Latvia Lithuania Malawi Marshall Islands Monaco Netherlands Paraguay Romania Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom ★ Vanuatu |  Argentina ◆ Czech Republic ◆ Hungary ◆ Israel Nauru Palau Papua New Guinea ◆★ |  Afghanistan Cameroon Congo Ecuador Kiribati Liberia Samoa Solomon Islands Togo Tonga Tuvalu⁂ | ||
| Observer:, ⁂ | ||||
| Agree | Abstention | Oppose | Not Present to Vote | Ineligible to Vote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Cameroon Cook Islands Croatia Cyprus Denmark Estonia Fiji Finland Germany Hungary Italy Japan Latvia Liberia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Mexico Monaco Montenegro Netherlands New Zealand Portugal Romania San Marino Singapore Switzerland Tonga United Kingdom | Canada Guatemala Honduras Marshall Islands Nauru Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Solomon Islands |  Armenia Burkina Faso Burundi Comoros Equatorial Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kiribati Malawi Maldives Rwanda Samoa Sao Tome and Principe Timor-Leste Turkmenistan |  Benin Cambodia Grenada Niue Sierra Leone | ||
Observer:, and Not a member: Israel,  Liechtenstein | |||||
Despite recognizing the State of Palestine since 2010, Argentina distanced itself from other countries of the world, and voted against the resolution upon orders of President Javier Milei, who had earlier said that siding with Israel is a "moral obligation".[5] Representative to the UN Ricardo Lagorio confirmed that Argentina voted in accordance with directives from President Milei and Foreign Minister Diana Mondino.[6]
The Chinese ambassador to the UN Fu Cong stated that, "It is the common responsibility of the international community to support and advance the process of Palestinian independent Statehood, and provide strong support for the implementation of the two-State solution and a lasting peace in the Middle East".[1]
Swiss Ambassador Pascale Christine Baeriswyl voiced Switzerland's firm support to the two-state solution, stating that only a negotiated solution in which two states – Israel and Palestine – live side by side in peace and security can lead to lasting peace. Ambassador Baeriswyl also voiced deep concern over the catastrophic situation of civilians in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, stating that it could worsen further in the event of a major Israeli military offensive in Rafah.[1]
Barbara Woodward, Ambassador of the United Kingdom, said that her country remains "firmly committed" to the two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people. She said that the UK abstained from the vote because "we believe the first step towards achieving this goal is resolving the immediate crisis in Gaza" and she further stated that "the fastest way to end the conflict is "to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the fighting".[1]
The United States voted against the resolution, with US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood stating the negative vote was an "acknowledgement that statehood will come from a process that involves direct negotiations between the parties", adding, "There is no other path that guarantees Israel's security and future as a democratic Jewish State. There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live in peace and dignity in a State of their own".[1]