The Palestinians scored a diplomatic victory at the World Health Organization on Friday, as member states decided to align their rights with their status as observer states at the United Nations.
The vote took place against the backdrop of the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of more than 36,400 Palestinians.
The draft resolution, which was submitted by a group of Arab and Islamic countries in addition to China, Nicaragua and Venezuela, received the support of 101 countries out of the 177 countries that voted. Only five countries voted against the resolution, including the United States and Israel. The result was given a prolonged welcome by those in the room in Geneva where the World Health Assembly (WGV) – the WHO's highest decision-making body – convened this week.
The resolution grants Palestinians, among other things, the right to sit among member states, submit proposals and amendments, and run for membership in the general office and main committees of the WGV. However, it emphasizes that Palestinians do not have the right to vote or run for World Health Organization bodies.
The Palestinian Ambassador to Geneva, Ibrahim Muhammad Al-Khuraishi, described the decision as a “historic moment” and a “just decision.” The American representative was criticized for explaining Washington's opposition.
She said that the decision will not achieve tangible change for the Palestinians and that unilateral measures will not achieve the goal of two states. Al-Khuraishi reminded her that the Americans expelled their colonizers by force, and that the Palestinians have the right to resist the genocide they are being subjected to.
The vote in Geneva followed a similar resolution taken by the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this month, in which Palestinians were overwhelmingly granted more rights within the global body. However, the United States blocked their campaign for full membership in the Security Council.
According to diplomatic sources, the Palestinians and their supporters have refrained from seeking full membership in the World Health Organization for fear of the automatic suspension of US funding to the organization.
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