The Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations, Ambassador Riyad Mansour, sat in an official seat in the United Nations General Assembly, in a historic moment, and a sign was placed in front of him reading "State of Palestine". Last May, the overwhelming majority of members of the General Assembly voted in favor of granting Palestine full membership in the United Nations, and the Assembly issued a resolution granting the State of Palestine additional rights, after the United States used its veto in the UN Security Council to prevent the State of Palestine from obtaining full membership in the United Nations. The General Assembly resolution stipulates that as of the seventy-ninth annual session of the Assembly - which began last Tuesday - the Palestinian mission to the United Nations can directly submit proposals and amendments, and it can sit among the member states in alphabetical order. Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Osama Abdel Khalek commented on Palestine's ac quisition of the new seat, saying: "This is not just a procedural issue, it is a historic moment." Palestine has enjoyed the status of "non-member observer state" in the United Nations since 2012. A state is accepted as a member of the United Nations by a decision issued by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority, but only after a positive recommendation in this regard from the UN Security Council. On April 18, the United States used its veto power in the UN Security Council to prevent the State of Palestine from obtaining full membership in the United Nations. Source: National Iraqi News Agency