THE committee, comprising all 15 members of the UN Security Council, convened on Monday afternoon to discuss Palestine’s application.
This move comes after the Palestinian representative formally requested the renewed consideration of their membership application, originally submitted on
September 23, 2011— in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
According to the UN Charter, the admission of new members is determined by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
As such, the council’s decision to refer the application to its admission committee signals a crucial step in the process.
Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, hopes that the Security Council would align itself with the global consensus on the two-state solution by granting full membership to Palestine.
Vanessa Frazier, the Security Council president for the month of April, disclosed that the council had set a timeline for deliberating on the matter during April.
However, any decision by the Security Council requires the agreement of at least nine of its 15 members and is subject to veto. Additionally, admission to UN membership necessitates a two-thirds majority at the General Assembly.
Palestine currently holds the status of a non-member observer state at the United Nations.
This status has evolved over the years, with the General Assembly progressively acknowledging Palestine’s statehood aspirations. In 2012, the General Assembly passed a resolution granting Palestine the status of a non-member observer state.
