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🗞️UN Security Council resolution supporting Palestine's UN membership was passed by the UN

🗞️UN Security Council resolution supporting Palestine's UN membership was passed by the UN

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The resolution calling on the UN Security Council to reevaluate and endorse Palestine's full membership in the UN was passed by the UN general assembly with overwhelming support.

It has passed overwhelmingly with 143 countries in favour, nine against and 25 abstaining.

With the support of a large majority, the historic resolution grants Palestine several rights in the UN assembly.

As per the resolution text, Palestine has been granted the authority to present and co-sponsor proposals along with amendments in the assembly. In addition to other rights, Palestine is able to raise procedural motions and be seated among member states. The most recent resolution also acts as a further reminder of the views held by a large portion of the global community regarding Palestine's eligibility for UN membership.

The US Mission to the UN said before the UNGA session began that the US would veto the resolution again if it was approved and the application for membership was sent to the Security Council, stating that "we expect a similar outcome to what occurred in April."

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What does the resolution mean?

Just a quick recap of what this means: by adopting this resolution the General Assembly will upgrade the rights of the State of Palestine within the world body - but not the right to vote or to put forward its candidature to United Nations organs such as the Security Council or the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Granting Palestinian membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council. At the same time, the Assembly determines that the State of Palestine is qualified for such status and recommends that the Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”.

None of the upgrades in status will take effect until the new session of the Assembly opens on 10 September.

Here are some of the changes in status that Palestine will have a right to later this year:

To be seated among Member States in alphabetical order;
make statements on behalf of a group;
submit proposals and amendments and introduce them;
co-sponsor proposals and amendments, including on behalf of a group;
propose items to be included in the provisional agenda of the regular or special sessions and the right to request the inclusion of supplementary or additional items in the agenda of regular or special sessions;
the right of members of the delegation of the State of Palestine to be elected as officers in the plenary and the Main Committees of the General Assembly;
full and effective participation in United Nations conferences and international conferences and meetings convened under the auspices of the General Assembly or, as appropriate, under the auspices of other organs of the United Nations.

Before the vote started, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour gave a moving speech about the suffering of his people and the dire circumstances in Gaza.

During the discussion of the impending resolution, Israel's UN delegate, Gilad Erdan, charged that the deliberate body was trying to admit a "terror state" headed by the "Hitlers of our time" into its membership.

The UN Security Council's decision to reevaluate the Palestinian Authority's application for UN membership was denounced by Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, on Friday. "The absurd decision taken today at the UN General Assembly highlights the structural bias of the UN and the reasons why, under the leadership of UN Secretary-General Guterres, it has turned itself into an irrelevant institution," Katz said. She continued, "The message that the UN is sending to our suffering region: violence pays off."

Explaining the US’ negative vote, Ambassador Robert Wood said that it did not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood.

“We have been very clear that we support it and seek to advance it meaningfully. Instead, it is an acknowledgement that statehood will come from a process that involves direct negotiations between the parties,” he said.

“There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and future as a democratic Jewish state. There is not other path that guarantees Palestinians can live in peace and dignity in a state of their own,” he added.

He further expressed the US commitment to intensifying its engagement with Palestinians and the rest of the Middle East region to advance a political settlement that will create a path to Palestinian Statehood and subsequent membership in the UN.

“This resolution does not resolve the concerns about the Palestinian membership application raised in April in the Security Council…and should the Security Council take up the Palestinian membership application as a result of this resolution, there will be a similar outcome,” he said.

Meanwhile, Barbara Woodward, Ambassador of the United Kingdom, said that her country remains “firmly committed” to the two-State solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people.

“We are abstaining from this resolution because we believe the first step towards achieving this goal is resolving the immediate crisis in Gaza,” she said, emphasizing that the fastest way to end the conflict is “to secure a deal, which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the fighting.”

“We must then work together to turn that pause into a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.”

She added that “setting out the horizon” for a Palestinian State should be one of the vital conditions from moving from a pause in fighting to a sustainable ceasefire.

“Recognizing a Palestinian State, including at the UN, should be part of that process,” she said.

Ambassador Woodward also noted that the UK remains deeply concerned about the prospect of a major operation in Rafah and that it will not support such an act, unless there is a “very clear plan” on protecting civilians as well as their to aid and medical care.

“We have not seen that plan, so in these circumstances, we will not support a major operation in Rafah,” she said.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applauded the UN General Assembly's overwhelming vote Friday in favor of the UN Security Council's reconsideration of Palestine's full UN membership.

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🗞️UN Security Council resolution supporting Palestine's UN membership was passed by the UN

What does the resolution mean?

Here are some of the changes in status that Palestine will have a right to later this year:

Got a News Tip?

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