Palestine is seeking a United Nations Security Council vote this month to grant it full membership in the UN, according to the Palestinian UN envoy, Riyad Mansour.
This initiative comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which is approaching its six-month mark, and as Israel continues to expand its settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Mansour, who holds permanent observer status at the UN, expressed the desire for the Security Council to make a decision during a ministerial meeting on the Middle East scheduled for April 18, although a vote has not been scheduled.
The Palestinian application for full membership, submitted in 2011, is still pending due to the council’s lack of a formal decision.
The presidency of the Security Council for April is held by Malta, whose UN Ambassador Vanessa Frazier reported not having received a formal request for action from the Palestinians yet.
The global community has been pushing for an end to the conflict and the resumption of efforts towards a two-state solution that envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, with significant casualties on both sides and has led to extensive destruction in Gaza.
To become a full member of the UN, the Palestinian Authority needs approval from the Security Council—where the United States has veto power—followed by support from at least two-thirds of the 193-member General Assembly.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan criticized the Palestinian Authority’s bid, arguing it does not meet the criteria for statehood and that supporting such a move now would reward terrorism and encourage unilateral steps contrary to the principle of direct negotiations.
The Security Council committee reviewed Palestine’s application in 2011 but did not reach a unanimous position, preventing a vote on recommending Palestinian membership.
Following this, the Palestinians obtained the status of a non-member observer state from the UN General Assembly in November 2012.
Since the early 1990s and the Oslo Accords, little progress has been made toward Palestinian statehood, hindered by issues such as the expansion of Israeli settlements.
The Palestinian Authority, under President Mahmoud Abbas, manages limited self-rule in the West Bank, while Hamas took control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007.
