America and Israel foiled as U.N. votes to fly Palestine's flag outside its New York headquarters

The number of flags flying outside the United Nations' headquarters in New York City will grow by two, thanks to an overwhelming vote on Thursday in favor of adding the banners of the U.N.'s two nonmember observer states, Palestine and the Vatican. All told, 119 nations, including almost all of Asia and Africa's representatives as well as many Arab states and Iran, voted in favor of Palestine having the right to fly its flag. Only eight, including the United States and Israel, voted against the measure, with 45 abstaining.

"Today's vote is a reaffirmation of the legitimacy of the national aspirations of the Palestinian people, of their existence among the nations of the world and their right to self-determination," the Palestinian ambassador, Riyad H. Mansour, said in comments to the General Assembly.

Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the U.N., disagreed, arguing that the act of raising the Palestinian flag "is not an alternative to negotiations and will not bring the parties closer to peace." Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor staked out similar ground, saying that raising the flag was "a blatant attempt to hijack the U.N."

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"Make no mistake, the goal of this resolution is a photo op," he said.