UN General Assembly Calls for Palestine to Become Member

The UN General Assembly has called on the Security Council to admit Palestine as a member amid reports that several European countries are planning to recognize a Palestinian state.

The United Nations General Assembly has improved Palestine’s rights within the organization and is calling for it to be accepted as a member. Palestine has had non-member observer state status since 2012, which gives some rights short of a full member.
Membership decisions can only be made by the UN Security Council.

The US would reportedly veto a bid for full membership in the council, but the vote from today, Friday, May 10th, can be seen as a gesture of support for the Palestinians. It comes amid reports that a number of European countries plan to recognize a Palestinian state.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell told Spanish broadcast RTVE on Thursday that Spain would do so on May 21st. He has previously stated that Ireland, Slovenia, and Malta would also take the step, though no date has been confirmed.

Friday’s UN resolution bestows additional rights on Palestine at the global organization, permitting it to take part fully in debates, propose agenda items, and have its representatives elected to committees.

However, it will still not have the right to cast a vote. This is something the General Assembly does not have the power to grant. It would have to be backed by the Security Council.

The question of Palestinian statehood has frustrated the international community for decades. In 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the primary representative of the Palestinians, first declared the establishment of the State of Palestine.

The UN, Palestine, and the outlook on statehood

According to Reuters, Palestinian statehood has been recognized by 139 out of 193 UN member states. However, this is largely seen as symbolic.

In reality, Palestinians have limited self-government through the Palestinian Authority (PA) in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The PA lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas in 2007. The UN considers both territories as occupied by Israel and comprising a single political entity.

Israel does not recognize Palestinian statehood, and the current Israeli government is against the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. It claims such a state would be a threat to Israel’s existence.

The US endorses the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. This is in accordance with the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Nonetheless, it maintains such a state should only come through direct negotiations between the two sides.

Last month, the US used its veto as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council to block a widely backed Algerian resolution seeking Palestine’s admittance as a state, calling it “premature.”

Security Council resolutions are legally binding, but General Assembly resolutions are not.