A draft resolution on hoisting the Palestinian flag at the UN headquartersis set to be put to a vote next week, the Palestinian envoy says.
Palestinian Ambassadorto the UN Riyad Mansour said on Thursday that the General Assembly is scheduled to vote on the Palestinian proposal onSeptember 10, stressing, We have the votes and we are working to get as many votes as we can.
The draft resolution of the Palestinian proposal, which suggeststhat the flags of Palestine and the Vaticanbe raised alongside the flags of the 193 UN member states, was submitted to the General Assembly on August 27.
The measure is believed by many to garner a majority of votes in the 193-nation forum.
The resolution says thatthe flags of non-member observer states "shall be raised at the United Nations Headquarters and Offices following the flags of the member states of the United Nations."
If the draft is adopted, the UN will have 20 days to carry out the decision.
It is a symbolic thing but it is another step to solidify the pillars ofthe state of Palestine in the international arena and give our people a smallhope that the international community is still supporting the independence ofthe state of Palestine, Mansour added.
The Palestinian observer mission to the United Nations also issued a statement on Wednesday,calling on thethe world body's member states to support the move.
"We... respectfully appeal to the member states of the General Assembly to support the draft resolution on the raising of the flags of the non-member observer states," the Palestinian mission's statement said.
The Palestinian move has irked Israeli authorities, with the regime'senvoy to the UN calling the move a bid to score easy andmeaningless points at the UN.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem)and the Gaza Strip, and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.
On November 29, 2012, the General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestines status at the UN from non-member observer entity to non-member observer state despite strong opposition from Israel and the United States.
Sweden officially recognized the state of Palestine on October 30, 2014, drawing stringent criticism from Israel and the US. The Vatican has also officially recognized Palestine as a state.
Parliaments in many European countries, including Franceand Greece, have supported the formation of a sovereign Palestinian state.