The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution to mark the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948 as a "catastrophe."
Palestinians consider the establishment of Israel and its existence to this day as the "Nakba" (catastrophe in Arabic) and the world body decided to acknowledge the Palestinian version of events with the resolution, which was adopted by a vote of 90-30 with 47 abstentions. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and most European Union countries including Germany voted against the anti-Israel resolution.
Israel's Abraham Accords ally the United Arab Emirates was one of the co-sponsors of the resolution.
The resolution calls for a commemoration of the "Nakba" at the General Assembly Hall at UN headquarters in New York City next year — Palestinians and their supporters mark the event every year on May 15 which is the day after Israel's independence was declared in 1948. Israel in 2023 celebrates 75 years since the establishment of the state.
“What would you say if the international community celebrated the establishment of your country as a disaster? What a disgrace," Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said after the vote.
