Security Council Officially Proposes Palestine to Become a Full Member of the UN

New York, MINA – Malta as President of the UN Security Council (DK) for April 2024 officially submitted an application to the committee to make Palestine a full member of the UN.

Malta’s Ambassador to the UN Vanessa Frazier proposed that the committee meet on Mondayafternoon to consider the application. She added that discussions on full Palestinian membership should take place this April.

“The Admissions Committee will discuss what was received in the letter, namely for the Security Council to give new consideration to their application for membership,” said Frazier at UN Headquarters, New York, United States, Monday, Wafa reported.

Commenting on the Palestinian membership offer, Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN believes the committee needs to re-evaluate the Palestinian membership application as it was already evaluated in 2011.

She said they had decided to give the committee limited time.

When asked about Russia’s position on Israel’s rejection of Palestinian membership, Nebenzia replied, “They (Israel) also reject the two-state solution,” he said.

Meanwhile, United States (US) Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood spoke to journalists before a closed session of the UN Security Council saying that Palestine’s membership application would be reconsidered.

“The US position on the Palestinian offer has not changed. “Our position is that the issue of full Palestinian membership is a decision that must be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians,” he said.

Wood reminded that this issue was also discussed in the Oslo Agreement. “They need to reach an agreement, and that’s how full membership has to be achieved,” he said.

In 2011, Palestine applied to become a full member of the UN but failed to get the necessary support from Security Council members.

However, Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour announced on 2 April 2024 that he had sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, requesting that the membership application be reconsidered.

Then, Guterres wrote a letter to the UN Security Council asking for consideration of Palestine’s request.

The process of admitting new UN members has begun in the Security Council. After discussion, the board is expected to refer the matter to the New Member Admissions Committee.

If the committee gives a positive response, the UNSC will vote and it will be adopted if none of its permanent members use their veto power and at least nine of the 15 members vote in favor.

Furthermore, if the Security Council agrees, the matter will be referred to the UN General Assembly which has 193 members, requiring a two-thirds majority vote.

Since 1974, Palestine has participated in the UN as an observer. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)