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The United Nations has to the status of Palestine to a non-member observer state. The historic vote place on Thursday in a packed session at the U.N. headquarters. More than two-thirds of the 193 member states were to the motion for Palestine to be . It was passed 138-9 with 41 abstentions. Many European countries, Russia, China, India and Brazil voted in favour of the Palestinians. The USA, Canada and Israel were among those against, while Germany, Britain, Australia and Colombia abstained. The vote came 65 years to the day that the U.N. a resolution the partition of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states. Israel the vote as "negative political theatre" and announced the building of 3,000 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Celebrations out across the West Bank as news of the vote came through. The fact that the U.N. has implicitly recognized Palestine's sovereignty was as a major diplomatic victory. Veteran Palestinian peace negotiator Hannan Ashrawi told reporters what the recognition for Palestine: "Getting state status is what the Palestinians, what defines our territory as occupied, what our relationships regionally and with the rest of the world," she said. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he the U.N. vote would "breathe new life into [peace] negotiations" with Israel. He said it was "the last chance to save the two-state solution". Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said: "The resolution…won't anything on the ground. It won't the establishment of a Palestinian state, but rather, put it further off."