Kenya has voted in support of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution for the admission of the State of Palestine to the UN.
Kenya was among the 142 countries that voted in support of the move that now grants Palestine new status and privileges in the world. Out of the 193-members who voted, 143 voted ‘Yes’, while nine voted against it and 25 other countries abstained.
In a statement, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr Korir Sing’oei welcomed the news, stating that it was a continuation of Kenya’s stance on the matter.
“Kenya votes with 142 other countries in support of the UN General Assembly Resolution for the admission of the State of Palestine to the UN,” stated Sing’oei.
“This endorsement is consistent with our historical vote on the matter.”
On his part, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Martin Kimani said, “We can no more deny others who legitimately seek self-determination than we can deny our nature as a country made from an independence struggle.”
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The historic vote on Friday, May 10 hands Palestine additional rights and privileges amid the conflict with Israel that has lasted for months. In addition, the outcome puts Palestine on the trajectory of acquiring full membership in the UN.
Both Israel and the United States were among the standout countries in the list of countries which voted ‘No’ while the United Kingdom abstained.
Moments before the vote, Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour had implored members to vote in favour of Palestine, noting that it would not in any way threaten the existence of Israel. Instead, the Palestinian ambassador noted that a ‘Yes’ vote would be a step forward in the pursuit of peace.
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Palestinian government in a statement through its official X account, thanked all nations who voted to grant it the new status in the UN.
“77 years after the General Assembly voted to partition Palestine, today it voted to correct this historic injustice by bringing Palestine one step closer to its rightful place among nations,” read part of the statement.
Earlier on April 18, the U.S. vetoed against a UN Security Council resolution to grant Palestine full membership. Meanwhile, the Israel-Gaza war remains a major concern for the international community with statistics showing that over 34,000 people have been killed in the area.
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