In light of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, the Palestinians last week revived a 2011 UN membership application.
United Nations:
Members of the UN Security Council failed to reach consensus on Thursday on a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, meaning the long-running effort is now likely headed for a more formal vote in the council.
The Palestinians, who have had observer status at the world body since 2012, have been lobbying for years for full membership, which would amount to recognition of the Palestinian state.
Any request to join the UN must first go through the Security Council – where Israel's ally the United States has a veto – and then be approved by the General Assembly.
In light of Israel's offensive in Gaza, the Palestinians last week revived a 2011 UN membership application, prompting the Security Council to launch a formal review process. This included the ad hoc committee that failed to reach consensus on Thursday and was made up of the council's member states.
During the closed-door meeting “there was no consensus,” said Maltese Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, who will take the council's rotating chairmanship in April.
However, two-thirds of members supported full membership, she said, without specifying which countries.
While the ad hoc committee can only make progress by consensus – loosely speaking, if everyone agrees – any member of the Security Council can now submit a resolution for a vote on the matter.
According to diplomatic sources, a vote could take place on April 18, at the initiative of Algeria, which represents Arab countries in the Council.
Even if the issue were to receive the necessary nine out of fifteen votes, observers predict a veto by the United States.
Washington insists that the United Nations is not the place for abolishing the Palestinian state, which it insists should be the result of an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
“All we ask is to take our rightful place within the community of nations,” Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour told reporters earlier this week.
The Gaza war began after Hamas' unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel killed 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,545 people, mostly women and children, according to Israel's Health Ministry.
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