Türkiye welcomes UN resolution expanding Palestine's rights

Türkiye has welcomed the United Nations General Assembly resolution that expands Palestine's rights and privileges at the UN.

"This resolution reaffirms the strong support of the international community for the Palestinian people's right to a state of their own and the two-state solution," the Türkiye's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

In light of this resolution, Türkiye called on the entire international community to take concrete steps to halt Israeli atrocities in Gaza and to recognise the state of Palestine.

The UN General Assembly earlier voted by a wide margin to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to favourably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.

The 193-member world body approved the Arab and Palestinian-sponsored resolution by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions on Friday.

'Negotiations with Israel'

The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full UN membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent.

US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood made clear on Thursday that the Biden administration opposed the new assembly resolution. The US was among the nine countries voting against it, along with Israel.

Under the UN Charter, prospective members of the UN must be “peace-loving,” and the Security Council must recommend their admission to the General Assembly for final approval. Palestine became a UN non-member observer state in 2012.

“We’ve been very clear from the beginning there is a process for obtaining full membership in the United Nations, and this effort by some of the Arab countries and the Palestinians is to try to go around that,” Wood said Thursday.

“We have said from the beginning the best way to ensure Palestinian full membership in the UN is to do that through negotiations with Israel. That remains our position.”

Israel's war on Palestine's besieged Gaza, now in its 217th day, has killed at least 34,943 people — 70 percent of them babies, children and women — and wounded over 78,572.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85 percent of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

'Significant response to Israel's crimes'

Türkiye’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz welcomed the UN General Assembly’s resolution.

“We see the adoption of the resolution calling for the reconsideration of Palestine's UN membership at the UN General Assembly, along with granting additional rights to Palestine as an observer state, as a significant message of support,” Yilmaz said on X.

He added that the adoption of the resolution with 143 “yes” votes in the 193-member General Assembly is “a significant response to the crimes Israel has committed in Palestinian territories since October 7.”

He also welcomed the global community’s “overwhelming support” for the freedom of the Palestinians.

Yilmaz reiterated that Ankara will stand by the Palestine cause and its “Palestinian brothers.”

He said the only solution for lasting peace is “the acceptance of a viable, independent, and sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem,” urging countries all around the world to recognise the state of Palestine.

“As Türkiye, just like in history, today we will continue to stand alongside fair peace and be the voice of the oppressed,” he added.