New York, 10 May 2024, (GNP): The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is poised to support a Palestinian request for full UN membership by acknowledging its eligibility and referring the application back to the UN Security Council for a positive reconsideration.
The Palestinians are renewing their effort to attain full UN membership, which would essentially acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state. This comes after the United States vetoed the attempt in the 15-member UN Security Council last month.
The upcoming vote by the 193-member General Assembly on Friday will serve as a global gauge of support for the Palestinians. To achieve full UN membership, an application must first be endorsed by the Security Council and then by the General Assembly.
Although the General Assembly lacks the authority to grant full UN membership on its own, the draft resolution up for vote on Friday will afford the Palestinians certain additional rights and privileges starting from September 2024, such as a seat among UN members in the assembly hall. However, they will not be granted voting rights in the body.
Diplomats anticipate that the draft text will receive the necessary support for adoption.
The Palestinian pursuit of full UN membership arises amidst a brutal Israeli offensive on Gaza spanning seven months, and Israel’s ongoing expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, deemed illegal by the UN.
Presently, the Palestinians hold the status of a non-member observer state, a de facto acknowledgment of statehood conferred by the UN General Assembly in 2012.
In a letter to UN member states on Thursday, the Palestinian UN mission in New York asserted that adopting the draft resolution in support of full UN membership would be a commitment to safeguarding the long-desired two-state solution.
It said it would “constitute a clear reaffirmation of support at this very critical moment for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State.”
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The United Nations has consistently advocated for a two-state solution, where two states coexist peacefully within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians aspire to establish a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, territories all seized by Israel during the 1967 war with neighboring Arab states.
Earlier this week, the US mission to the United Nations reiterated that it believes the path to Palestinian statehood should be pursued through direct negotiations.
Israel’s UN Ambassador, Gilad Erdan, criticized the draft text on Monday, arguing that it aims to confer upon the Palestinians the de facto status and rights of a state. He emphasized that adopting the text would not alter the situation on the ground.
”If it is approved, I expect the United States to completely stop funding the UN and its institutions, in accordance with American law,” said Erdan.
Under US law, Washington is restricted from providing funding to any UN organization that grants full membership to a group lacking the “internationally recognized attributes” of statehood. This policy was exemplified in 2011 when the United States halted funding for the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, following the Palestinians’ accession as a full member.
