Palestinian flag
A girl holds a Jordanian national flag as she poses in front of Jordanian policemen standing guard after a protest held by the Islamic Action Front in support of Palestinians and against the violence that occurred at al-Aqsa Mosque, after Friday prayers in Amman, Jordan July 31, 2015. Masked rock-throwing Palestinians and Israeli police using stun grenades clashed on Sunday at al-Aqsa mosque plaza, on the annual Jewish day of mourning for Jerusalem's two destroyed Biblical temples. Reuters/Muhammad Hamed

Palestinian authorities have requested the United Nations to raise their flag the next time world leaders convene at U.N. headquarters.

The flag resolution was submitted on Thursday, two days after the Vatican asked the Palestinian UN mission to remove all references to its own flag. The original draft resolution asked the U.N. to raise the flags of the State of the Palestine and the Vatican, both non-member observer states at the U.N. The U.N. headquarters only hoist flags belonging to member states at present.

The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly will be held on Sep. 25. Prior to that, there will be voting on the resolution, backed by 21 countries including Jordan, Algeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia; on Sep. 15.

The Vatican formally recognised the State of Palestine earlier in 2015. However, it pulled back from appealing for its flag even though it did not object to the Palestinian effort to establish its own.

The original resolution says the flags of the Vatican and the State of Palestine "shall be raised at the United Nations Headquarters and Offices following the flags of the member states of the United Nations," Reuters reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with Pope Francis and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, is planning to attend the general assembly in New York. A foreign ministry official in Jerusalem called the resolution as a “cheap and unnecessary gimmick,” Jerusalem Post reported.

The Israeli news agency also reported that both Israel and the United States were likely to be “irked” if the Palestinian flag was hoisted at the U.N. headquarters. Neither of the countries recognises the State of Palestine.

The U.N. General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign State of Palestine in 2012. Palestinian authorities failed to secure a full membership.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below

RELATED STORIES