PH breaks ranks with US on Palestinian statehood

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines was one of the 138 countries that voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution upgrading Palestine’s observer status in the world body.

“The Philippines supports Palestine’s quest for self-rule and self-determination, and we hope that one day an independent Palestine may live side by side in peace with its neighbors,” the Department of Foreign Affairs  spokesperson, Raul Hernandez, said on Friday.

“In line with this desire and our support for the two-state solution, the Philippines voted in favor of the resolution granting Palestine ‘nonmember observer’ state status,” Hernandez said.

The UN vote took place during the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which marks the anniversary of the 1947 General Assembly resolution that partitioned Palestine into two states, one for the Jews and another for the Arabs.

The Philippines also voted for the 1947 resolution.

Only one state, Israel, was created in 1948.