UN General Assembly (AP)

The Palestinians failed in their attempt to join the UN’s World Tourism Organization, a win for Israel on the diplomatic front.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Wednesday turned down a request by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to join the agency as a member state.

UNWTO, the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of sustainable and universally accessible tourism, announced it was postponing its decision on the issue for another two years.

The PA Ministry of Tourism applied for membership for “Palestine” last year.

Israel has taken diplomatic measures to block the request.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman warned of “expected damage” to the UNWTO if it accepts the Palestinians’ request for membership.

The Palestinians have been attempting in recent years to gain access to international bodies in a bid to unilaterally gain recognition of its statehood and by doing so, bypassing peace negotiations with Israel.

Furthermore, the Palestinians have launched a diplomatic campaign against Israel and have utilized UN forums as a platform from which they have initiated attacks on the Jewish state’s legitimacy.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was the only UN body to accept “Palestine,” and has since become a virulently anti-Israel body.