Israel to call in ambassadors of nations that supported Palestinian UN membership bid | Global Affairs

Israel to Summon Ambassadors of Countries Supporting Palestinian UN Membership

In a bold move, Israel has announced that it will summon ambassadors of countries that voted in favor of full Palestinian UN membership for a “protest talk” on Sunday. This decision comes after the Palestinian Authority expressed its intention to “reconsider” its relationship with the United States following Washington’s veto of the Palestinian membership bid earlier in the week.

The vote, which took place on Thursday, saw 12 countries on the UN Security Council support a resolution recommending full Palestinian membership, while two countries, Britain and Switzerland, abstained. The United States, Israel’s strongest ally, used its veto power to block the resolution.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein stated that ambassadors from France, Japan, South Korea, Malta, the Slovak Republic, and Ecuador will be summoned for a demarche, with a strong protest being presented to them. He emphasized that the message to be delivered to the ambassadors is clear: supporting the recognition of a Palestinian state is seen as a reward for terrorism.

The draft resolution called for the admission of the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations, replacing its current status as a “non-member observer state” since 2012. Despite the majority of UN member states recognizing a Palestinian state, the issue remains contentious and continues to spark diplomatic tensions.

As the situation unfolds, the international community will be closely watching the outcome of these diplomatic talks between Israel and the ambassadors of the supporting countries.