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"In a bold move heightened by clashes on the Gaza strip, the UN voted to formally recognize Palestine as a &amp;quot;nonmember&amp;quot; state. Palestine&amp;#039;s updated status was won by an overwhelming margin--138 delegates voted in favor, nine voted against and 41 nations abstained. The UN has emphasized that this decision does not mean that Palestine has been accepted as an official member of the UN, which requires a longer process and more criteria. The news comes as weeks of unrest continues to occur in the Gaza strip, which is governed by Hamas. The US recognizes Hamas as a terrorist organization. Many consider the move bureaucratic more than anything else: Palestine is on the same level of diplomatic recognition as the Vatican now. The US and Israel have been resistant to the decision. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has hailed the diplomatic breakthrough as momentous.  The vote symbolically came on the 65th anniversary of the historic UN vote to partition British-ruled Palestine into two separate Jewish and Arab states. Members of the UN have stated that they hope the move will lead to further peaceful negotiations between Israel and Palestine.  Immediately after the vote, Israel threatened to impose financial penalties against the Palestinian government. However, afterwards they chose to acknowledge the vote as insignificant. Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated that the recognition would not bring Palestine closer to independence. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/news/a47588/un-recognizes-palestine-as-a-state/?src=syn&dom=yah_buzz&mag=wdy&ha=1&kw=ist>