UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote Friday on a Palestinian request for full UN membership, diplomats said. The resolution, which recommends admitting the State of Palestine to the United Nations, is expected to face opposition from the United States, a staunch ally of Israel.
Scheduled for 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Friday, the vote on the draft resolution comes amidst a backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Diplomats said that the measure may garner support from up to 13 council members, potentially prompting the United States to exercise its veto power to block the move.
Algeria, a current member of the Security Council, proposed the draft resolution and initially sought a vote for Thursday afternoon to coincide with a meeting on the Middle East, expected to be attended by several ministers.
However, the United States has reiterated its stance that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state should be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties, rather than through UN channels. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield emphasized the need for a two-state solution but questioned the effectiveness of a Security Council resolution in facilitating progress.
Currently, the Palestinians hold a non-member observer state status at the UN, granted in 2012 by the General Assembly. However, full UN membership requires approval from the Security Council and subsequently at least two-thirds of the General Assembly.
The Palestinian aspiration for statehood encompasses territories in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, areas occupied by Israel since 1967. Despite endorsements of a two-state solution by the Security Council, progress towards Palestinian statehood has been minimal since the Oslo Accords of the 1990s.
The push for full UN membership coincides with ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and an expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan warned against recognizing a Palestinian state, asserting that such a move would undermine the principle of direct negotiations.
A Security Council committee, comprising all 15 members, convened twice last week to discuss the Palestinian application. However, the committee failed to reach a unanimous recommendation regarding the admission criteria, reflecting divergent viewpoints among members.
UN membership criteria require that states must be peace-loving and commit to fulfilling obligations outlined in the UN Charter.
