Palestine gains UN recognition as a state

Palestine this evening achieve recognition by the UN General Assembly as a non-member observer state. 138 countries voted in favour, nine against with 41 abstentions. The result was greeted with cheering and applause in Ramallah although it is not expected to change much in real terms. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said before the vote that a 'yes' vote would mean that the UN was handing Palestine its birth certificate. The Israeli and US representatives said peace with two states for two peoples could only be achieved through direct negotiations. The US said the resolution was 'unfortunate and counter productive'. Prior to the vote US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns made a personal appeal to Abbas promising that President Barack Obama would re-engage as a mediator in 2013 if Abbas abandoned the effort to seek statehood. The Palestinian leader refused. Abbas appealed to all nations to vote in favour of the Palestinians "as an investment in peace." Malta was among the countries which backed the resolution, as did France and Spain, among other European countries. Germany and the UK abstained. Israel, the US and Canada were among those that voted against. The...