Middle-East

Africa united on Palestine bid to become UN member: Here is how countries voted

UN General Assembly adopts resolution, recommending Security Council reconsider the matter of Palestine’s membership favourably; changing modalities for its participation in meetings. (X/UN)

By Foreign Reporter | Friday, May 10, 2024

Of the 143 UN countries voting in favour of a resolution affirming Palestine's eligibility for full UN membership, 45 out of 54 African member states under the African Group supported the resolution.

The Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza had divided the African continent, with some nations remaining silent while others expressed solidarity with either Israel or Palestine.

However, Palestine netted a victory at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, notably receiving overwhelming support from the African Group.

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Of the 143 UN countries voting in favour of a resolution affirming Palestine's eligibility for full UN membership, 45 out of 54 African member states under the African Group supported the resolution.

Israel’s global standing has been greatly damaged since the October 7 attack.

With the expansion of the Israel Defence Force’s (IDF) counter-offensive against Hamas and the increasing death toll in Gaza, Israel has now become the object of severe international criticism.

Some eight African countries were categorised as non-voting.

Why is this?

The non-voting states are the ones who are in arrears with their UN membership fees and whose voting rights are suspended.

DRC, South Sudan, Eswatini, Congo, and Cameroon are among those who skipped voting for the UN resolution due to voting rights suspensions.

While the UN General Assembly is an inclusive, one-state, one-vote forum, it has occasionally stripped voting rights from weaker states for various reasons.

Per the UN Charter, every member is part of the General Assembly and is entitled to only one vote, however, this vote is conditional upon meeting financial obligations.

How African countries voted on the Palestine bid to become a full UN member. (Illustration: Handout)

Kenya, initially showing support for Israel, voted in favour of the resolution.

Malawi stood as the only African country to abstain from voting on the UNGA resolution, reflecting its historical alignment with Israel.

Despite previous intentions to open an embassy in Jerusalem, Malawi later established its embassy in Tel Aviv.

This week, Israeli authorities deported 12 Malawian labourers for breaching contracts by leaving farm employment for a bakery.

These workers were part of a larger group employed on Israeli farms since November to boost Malawi's foreign exchange reserves.

Even though Israel initially received wide international support following Hamas’s onslaught, numerous African countries soon voiced criticism as the number of Palestinian casualties swelled.

Friday's vote has undoubtedly influenced African countries' stances against Israel, which have shown significant improvement over the past two decades.

Notably, South Africa, Algeria, and the African Union (AU) have openly criticised Israel for its actions in Gaza.