The 79th session of the UN General Assembly commenced in New York, with Palestine, although not a full UN member, being allocated a seat alongside the member states in the General Assembly Hall.

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour took his place at a table labeled “State of Palestine” between Sri Lanka and Sudan.

The Permanent Mission of Palestine to the UN shared a social media clip of Egyptian Ambassador Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud raising a point of order to confirm the new seating arrangement, which was affirmed by the UNGA President.

The decision, however, has been criticized by Israel, which argues that UN membership and associated privileges are reserved for sovereign states.