Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
New York, SANA The Palestinian flag was hoisted for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
The ceremony was attended by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
“At this historical moment, I say to my people everywhere: ‘raise the flag of Palestinians very high because it is the symbol of our Unity and identity,'” President Abbas told the ceremony. “It is a proud day.”
The General Assembly voted on September 10 to allow the flags of Palestine and the Vatican, both have observer status, to be raised at the world body alongside those of member states. The resolution was backed by 119 countries, with 45 abstentions and eight votes against, including Australia, Israel and the United States.
The red, black, white and green Palestinian flag fluttered at the United Nations in a symbolic gesture as President Abbas called on the international organization to grant the Palestine full membership.
In 2012, the UN General Assembly voted to upgrade the status of the Palestinians to that of a “non-member observer state”.
The flag was raised in the Rose Garden of the international body, to be later raised along with the Vatican flag alongside the 193-UN member states.
H. Zain/H. Said
