Security Council to vote Thursday on Palestine's UN membership bid
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Regional bloc the Arab Group affirms its "unwavering support" for Palestine's application.
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A man waves a Palestinian flag during a protest rally at Syntagma Square, central Athens, Greece, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)
The United Nations Security Council will vote Thursday on Palestine's application to become a full UN member state, AFP reported citing several diplomatic sources.
Palestine, which has had observer status at the world body since 2012, has lobbied for years to gain full membership, which would amount to the recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Any request to become a UN member state must first pass through the Security Council, where "Israel's" ally the United States wields a veto, and then be endorsed by the General Assembly.
Amid the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, Palestine revived a 2011 UN membership application a couple of weeks ago, prompting the Security Council to launch a formal review process, which included a committee that failed on April 12 to reach a consensus on Palestine's bid and was composed of the Council's member states.
Regional bloc the Arab Group issued a statement Tuesday affirming its "unwavering support" for Palestine's application.
"Membership in the United Nations is a crucial step in the right direction towards a just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian question in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions," the statement said.
Algeria, a non-permanent Security Council member, has drafted the resolution that "recommends" to the General Assembly that "the State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations."
The vote on Thursday will coincide with a Security Council meeting scheduled several weeks ago to discuss the war on Gaza, which ministers from several Arab countries are expected to attend, according to AFP.
According to the Palestinian side, 137 of the 193 UN member states already recognize a Palestinian state, raising hope that their request would be supported in the General Assembly.
"We call on all members of the Security Council to vote in favor of the draft resolution... At the very least, we implore Council members not to obstruct this critical initiative," the Arab Group stressed Tuesday.
Even if the matter were to receive the necessary nine of 15 votes, observers predict a veto from the United States, which argues that Palestinian statehood should be the result of an agreement between "Israel" and the Palestinians.
It is noteworthy that in late February, the Israeli Knesset passed a draft government resolution unilaterally rejecting the recognition of a Palestinian state by "Israel".
The resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority of votes, as 99 out of 120 Israeli lawmakers backed the legislation. The motion was initially approved by the Israeli cabinet.
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pointed out that the resolution aims to reject so-called "international diktats" regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians.
He further stated that if a settlement were to be reached, "it would come about solely through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions."
