UNSC disagrees on Palestine’s full membership

Members of the UN Security Council failed to reach a consensus on Thursday regarding a bid by Palestinians for full UN membership, indicating that the longshot effort is now likely headed for a more formal council vote.

The Palestinians, who have held observer status at the world body since 2012, have been advocating for years to gain full membership, which would signify recognition of Palestinian statehood.

To become a UN member state, any request must first pass through the Security Council, where the United States, a staunch ally of Israel, holds a veto power, and then be endorsed by the General Assembly.

Against the backdrop of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, Palestinians revived a 2011 UN membership application last week, prompting the Security Council to initiate a formal review process.

This process involved an ad hoc committee composed of the council’s member states, which, during its closed-door meeting, failed to reach consensus, according to Maltese Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, who currently holds the council’s rotating presidency for April.

Despite the lack of consensus, Frazier noted that two-thirds of the members were in favor of full membership, although she did not specify which countries supported it.

While the ad hoc committee can only progress with consensus, any Security Council member may now propose a resolution for a vote on the matter.

Diplomatic sources suggest that a vote could take place on April 18, with Algeria, representing Arab nations on the Council, likely to bring it forth.

However, even if the issue were to receive the required nine out of 15 votes, observers anticipate a veto from the United States.

Washington maintains that the United Nations is not the appropriate venue for determining Palestinian statehood, insisting that it should result from an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

“All we ask for is to take our rightful place among the community of nations,” Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour told reporters earlier this week.

The Gaza conflict erupted after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.

In response, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has claimed the lives of at least 33,545 people in Gaza, predominantly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas.

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