France to back Palestinian bid for UN status

France has announced it will vote in favor of recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state at the UN General Assembly later this week. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France had long backed Palestinian ambitions for statehood and would vote yes “out of a concern for coherency”, the BBC reported. The Palestinians are asking the UN General Assembly to upgrade their status from permanent observer to a “non-member observer state”. The vote is due to take place later this week. “This Thursday or Friday, when the question is asked, France will vote yes,” Fabius told the lower house of parliament. France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is the first major European country to come out in favour of the move”, he said.