India voted in favour of a draft UN General Assembly resolution supporting Palestine’s bid to become a full UN member. The 193-member General Assembly met, yesterday, for an emergency special session where the Arab Group resolution in support of the State of Palestine’s full membership in the UN was presented by the United Arab Emirates. The resolution said Palestine is qualified and should be admitted as a full member of the United Nations and recommended that the Security Council reconsider the matter favourably. The resolution got 143 votes in favour, nine against and 25 abstentions. Currently, Palestine is a non-member observer state at the UN. The status was granted to Palestine by the General Assembly in 2012.

India was the first non-Arab State to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974. India was also one of the first countries to recognise the State of Palestine in 1988 and in 1996.