The member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) granted additional rights to the Palestinians on Saturday, adopting during the World Health Assembly a measure decided the day before, modeled on that taken in early May by the United Nations General Assembly.
“Is the Assembly ready to adopt the declaration? I see no objection, the declaration is adopted,” said its president, Dr. Edwin Dikoloti, drawing loud applause from the delegates.
The Palestinian State, which already has observer status with the WHO, is thus granted practically the same rights as if it were a full member.
Once the measure was adopted, the Palestinian representative went to his new place, between the Republic of Palau and Panama, still to applause.
Ryad Awaja, advisor for economic and social affairs of the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine, was then congratulated by dozens of diplomats.
This extension of Palestinian rights was approved in committee on Friday, by 101 votes to 5.
At the Assembly in Geneva, the Palestinians and their supporters abandoned their demand for full membership. Several diplomatic sources have raised concerns that a vote in favor of this status could trigger an automatic suspension of American funding to the organization.
In addition to the right to sit among member states, Palestinian representatives will now be able to submit proposals and amendments, and be elected to the office of the WHA plenary and main committees.
However, “Palestine, in its capacity as an observer State, does not have the right to vote in the Health Assembly nor to present its candidacy to the bodies of the WHO,” specifies the text.
On May 10, the UN General Assembly granted, by an overwhelming majority, some additional rights to the Palestinians, in the absence of real membership blocked by the United States in the Security Council.
The AMS decision comes in the eighth month of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The conflict was sparked by Hamas’ unprecedented October 7 attack on Israeli territory.
It led to the death of more than 1,189 people, mainly civilians, according to a count carried out by AFP based on the latest official data available.
In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive that has left 36,379 dead in the Gaza Strip so far, according to the Hamas administration’s health ministry.