OIC Regrets Security Council's Failure to Accept Full UN Membership for Palestinian State

Vendors selling bread wait for customers at the Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 19, 2024. (AFP)
Vendors selling bread wait for customers at the Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 19, 2024. (AFP)
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OIC Regrets Security Council's Failure to Accept Full UN Membership for Palestinian State

Vendors selling bread wait for customers at the Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 19, 2024. (AFP)
Vendors selling bread wait for customers at the Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 19, 2024. (AFP)

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed on Friday its profound disappointment with the UN Security Council's decision to deny Palestine full UN membership.

The OIC strongly condemned the United States’ use of its veto power, which is a clear violation of the UN Charter and a major obstacle to the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.

It also reiterated its unwavering support for Palestine's right to full political and legal representation at the UN, a right long denied, and emphasized that recognizing the State of Palestine as a full UN member is essential to achieving peace and stability in the region, and paving the way for a viable two-state solution.

The OIC commended the countries that voted in favor of the draft resolution and urged those that voted against or abstained to reconsider their positions and align them with their obligations under international law, the UN Charter, and the relevant UN resolutions.

It said it views the Security Council’s failure to grant Palestine full membership as a continuation of the decades-long injustice toward the Palestinian people, calling on the international community to take immediate action to end this injustice once and for all.



Syrian Air Says It Is Resuming Its Direct Flights to UAE on Sunday

 Travellers are welcomed at Damascus's airport. (AFP file)
Travellers are welcomed at Damascus's airport. (AFP file)
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Syrian Air Says It Is Resuming Its Direct Flights to UAE on Sunday

 Travellers are welcomed at Damascus's airport. (AFP file)
Travellers are welcomed at Damascus's airport. (AFP file)

Syria's flag carrier Syrian Air will resume direct flights to Dubai and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates starting on Sunday, the airline said in a Facebook post.

All flights between Syria and the UAE had been suspended in January after opposition factions toppled former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

The announcement comes days after the UAE's civil aviation authority announced the resumption of air flights between the Gulf country and Syria. No UAE-based airlines have announced plans to fly to Syria so far.

The resumption of flights between the two countries followed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s first visit to the UAE as leader, where he met UAE's President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.