UNSC to deliberate on Palestine's 2011 application of full UN membership, Israel reacts

As the ongoing Israel-Hamas war continues to escalate, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) president referred to the Palestinian Authority’s application to become a full member of the international body to the committee which focuses on the admission of new members.

Malta’s UN Ambassador Vanessa Frazier proposed that the committee should meet and consider the application. Frazier insisted that the deliberation has to take place this month, Reuters reported. Malta holds the presidency of the Security Council for the month of April.

“We sincerely hope after 12 years since we changed our status to an observer state, that the Security Council will elevate itself to implementing the global consensus on the two-state solution by admitting the state of Palestine for full membership,” Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour told reporters after the meeting.

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What happens next?

Earlier this month, the Palestinian Authority formally asked the international body to renew consideration of the application they submitted back in 2011 to become a full member of the body.

With this, the committee of 15 members will first assess an application to see if it satisfies the requirements for UN membership. The committee can either shelve the application or put it forward for formal voting in the Security Council.

The approval will require at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from the permanent members of the UNSC i.e. US, Russia, China, France or Britain.

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“The committee has to deliberate within the month of April,” Frazier insisted. On Monday, the Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the application from the observer state.

Mansour told Reuters that the aim of the current deliberations is to take a decision at an April 18 ministerial meeting on the Middle East.

Israel reacts

Meanwhile, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan insisted that the recognition of the Palestinian state would be a threat to Israel’s national security.

“Granting the Palestinian statehood is not only a blatant violation of the UN Charter, it also violates the fundamental principle that everyone can understand of reaching a solution a lasting solution at the negotiating table,” Erdan told reporters.

He went on to accuse the United Nations of “sabotaging peace” in the Middle East. “The UN has been sabotaging peace in the Middle East for years. But today marks the beginning of the point of no return,” the Israeli envoy furthered.

With inputs from agencies.