Supporters of the Palestinians' request for full membership in the United Nations have once again approached the U.N. Security Council to revive their application for admission, originally submitted in 2011. However, the United States is anticipated to block the move, as it did previously.
The letter submitted to the council president by the supporters included the endorsement of 140 countries that have recognized a Palestinian state. These countries comprise members of the Arab Group, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Nonaligned Movement.
The renewed bid for U.N. membership comes amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has been ongoing for nearly six months. The unresolved Palestinian-Israeli conflict has regained international attention after years of being relatively sidelined.
In 2011, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas submitted the Palestinian Authority's application for U.N. membership to then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. However, the bid failed to secure the necessary support from nine of the Security Council's 15 members, with the United States vowing to veto any resolution supporting Palestinian membership.
The U.S. maintains its stance that full U.N. membership for Palestine should be a result of a negotiated peace agreement between the two parties. This position remains unchanged, according to U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood.
Following the rejection of their initial bid for full U.N. membership, the Palestinians successfully upgraded their status to a non-member observer state in the General Assembly in 2012. This change allowed the Palestinian territories to join various international organizations, including the International Criminal Court.
The Security Council's standing committee for new members, comprising all 15 council nations, is set to convene to discuss the Palestinian application. The committee will then decide whether to recommend membership to the General Assembly.
Despite these developments, the U.S.'s reaffirmed opposition to Palestinian U.N. membership is likely to thwart the bid once again. The issue is expected to be a focal point at the upcoming Security Council meeting on April 18, alongside discussions on the Israeli-Hamas conflict and the council's call for a cease-fire during Ramadan.
