The General Assembly approves the resolution for Palestinian membership in the UN

2024-05-10 22:20:44, Kosova & Bota CNA

The General Assembly approves the resolution for Palestinian membership in the

The United Nations General Assembly on May 10 voted to offer "new rights and privileges" to the Palestinians and called on the Security Council to consider favorably the Palestinian request to become members of the 194 of the UN.

The 193-member body approved the Arab-Palestinian-sponsored resolution with 143 votes in favor, nine against and 25 abstentions.

The United States vetoed a Council-backed resolution on April 18. That resolution would pave the way for full Palestinian membership in the UN, a cherished goal that Israel has worked to thwart.

US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood made it clear a day earlier that the administration of US President Joe Biden opposes the General Assembly's resolution.

The US was among nine countries, along with Israel, that voted against.

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"We have said from the beginning that the best way for full Palestinian membership in the UN is through negotiations with Israel, and that continues to be our position," Wood declared on May 9.

According to the UN Charter, potential members of this organization must be "peace-loving" and the Security Council must recommend their acceptance to the General Assembly for a final decision. The Palestinians have been non-member UN observers since 2012.

The resolution "determines" that the State of Palestine qualifies for membership, recommending that the Security Council consider the request "favorably". The original wording, where the term "peace-loving state" was mentioned, has been removed from the text of the resolution.

The new efforts for full Palestinian membership are being made as the war between Israel and Hamas - the Palestinian group declared a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union - continues in Gaza.

The original draft of the Assembly resolution has undergone major changes to address concerns raised not only by the US, but also by Russia and China, Western diplomats said.

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According to the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Russia and China, which are strong supporters of Palestinian membership in the UN, have expressed concerns about a list of rights and privileges set out in the resolution's annex that could set a precedent. for other countries that want to become part of the UN. Russia has expressed concerns about Kosovo, while China has expressed concerns about Taiwan.

The final list of rights and privileges, which are in the draft annex, allows Palestinians to speak on all issues not just those that concern them and the Middle East, the right to propose topics to be introduced on the agenda, retorts during debates, the right to elect officials for the key committees of the Assembly. It also provides for the right for Palestinians to participate in UN and international conferences organized by the UN, however they will not have the right to vote. The right to vote was foreseen in the initial draft.

The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, first submitted the application for membership to the UN in 2011. However, the request did not pass because it did not receive the support of at least nine of the 15 members of the Security Council.

The Palestinians then turned to the General Assembly, where they received the support of over two-thirds and raised their status from observer to non-member observer state./ REL