Diplomats have disclosed that the United Nations Security Council is set to deliberate on Friday on a Palestinian plea for complete UN membership, a move that the United States, a staunch ally of Israel, is anticipated to block because it would essentially acknowledge a Palestinian state.
The 15-member council is slated to vote on a draft resolution at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Friday, recommending to the 193-member UN General Assembly that “the State of Palestine be granted membership of the United Nations,” as per diplomats.
For a council resolution to pass, it necessitates a minimum of nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the US, Britain, France, Russia, or China. According to diplomats, the resolution may secure backing from up to 13 council members, potentially compelling the US to wield its veto.
Council member Algeria, the proposer of the draft resolution, had initially requested a vote for Thursday afternoon to coincide with a Security Council session on the Middle East, which is expected to be attended by several ministers.
The United States has acknowledged that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state should be achieved through direct negotiations between the concerned parties and not be pursued at the United Nations.
“We do not believe that passing a resolution in the Security Council will necessarily lead us to a point where we can reach…a two-state solution going forward,” remarked US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday.
Presently, Palestinians hold the status of a non-member observer state, a tacit acknowledgment of statehood sanctioned by the 193-member UN General Assembly in 2012. However, a bid for complete UN membership necessitates approval from the Security Council and subsequently at least two-thirds of the General Assembly.
The UN Security Council has long advocated for a vision of two states coexisting peacefully within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians aspire to a state encompassing the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, all territories seized by Israel in 1967.
Progress towards achieving Palestinian statehood has been minimal since the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the early 1990s.
The Palestinian try for full UN membership comes amidst a six-month conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza, along with Israel’s continued expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
