Only 9 countries opposed including america, israel and canada...
Palestinians win UN state recognition
UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to recognize Palestine as a non-member state, handing a major triumph to president Mahmud Abbas in the face of fierce US and Israeli opposition.
Abbas demanded the United Nations give a "birth certificate" to a Palestinian state and was rewarded with the backing of 139 countries.
Only nine members heeded Israeli warnings that the move could lead to more violence and voted against. Forty-one abstained.The vote lifts the status of the Palestinian Authority from an observer entity to a "non-member observer state" with the same status as the Vatican.
Even though it is not a full member it can now join UN agencies and potentially join the International Criminal Court. Abbas, who embraced his foreign minister after the vote and was given repeate standing ovations, said the vote was "the last chance to save the two-state solution."
