UNITED NATIONS: The Palestinian Authority on Thursday appealed to the United Nations Security Council to grant full membership to Palestine, citing it as a crucial step towards rectifying historical injustices endured by generations of Palestinians.
Full UN membership for the Palestinians would help alleviate the “historic injustice” suffered by generations, a senior Palestinian Authority official said ahead of a Security Council vote on the membership bid.
That UN Security Council vote is expected to take place at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) according to Malta, which holds the council’s rotating presidency. In his address to the Security Council, the special Palestinian Authority envoy, Ziad Abu Amr, underscored the significance of granting full membership to Palestine. “Granting Palestine full membership at the United Nations will lift some of the historic injustice that succeeding Palestinian generations have been subjected to,” Abu Amr told the Council. “It will open wide prospects before a true peace based on justice.”
However, the Palestinian bid for UN membership faces tough obstacles, primarily due to anticipated opposition from the United States, a staunch ally of Israel. Historically, the US has utilized its veto power to thwart initiatives deemed as harmful to Israeli interests.
The United States has consistently argued that the United Nations is not the appropriate forum for recognizing Palestinian statehood, insisting instead on the primacy of bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to achieve a lasting peace agreement.
Despite previous attempts by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to pursue UN membership in 2011, the Security Council has yet to vote on the matter. In lieu of full membership, the General Assembly granted the Palestinians observer status in November 2012.
In response to criticism and skepticism surrounding the membership bid, Abu Amr challenged detractors to elucidate how Palestinian UN membership would impede the prospects of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He reaffirmed that the pursuit of membership was rooted in a quest for justice and self-determination, rather than a rejection of diplomatic dialogue.
Meanwhile, Israel’s UN envoy, Gilad Erdan, denounced the Security Council’s consideration of the matter as “immoral,” reflecting Israel’s steadfast opposition to the two-state solution.
