OTTAWA – Canada abstained on a motion at the UN General Assembly Friday designed to move the international body towards recognizing Palestine as its own state.

The motion passed by a wide margin, with only the U.S., Israel and a handful of other countries opposing the move. The motion recognizes that Palestine is ready for admission to the UN. The UN Security Council has already rejected granting Palestine full diplomatic recognition and Friday’s vote calls on the Security Council to reconsider that choice.