Vatican flag hoisted at UN, Palestine to follow
Palestine to follow suit Sept. 30 when Abbas delivers speech at General Assembly
NEW YORK
The Vatican flag was raised for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday, a fortnight after the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to allow observer states to hoist their standards.
The yellow-and-white flag was raised without fanfare or ceremony at the northeast side of First Avenue and 42nd Street on the same day Pope Francis addressed the 193-member forum.
The General Assembly adopted a Palestinian-sponsored resolution Sept. 10 permitting non-member observer states to raise their flags at the world body's headquarters alongside those of member states.
The state of Palestine and the Holy See are the only non-member observer states at the UN.
The symbolic move came as Palestinians step up efforts for international recognition of their statehood, despite fierce opposition from Israel and its allies.
The Palestinian flag is scheduled to be hoisted Wednesday when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech at the annual general debate of heads of state and government at the General Assembly.
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