The UN general assembly is expected to vote on Friday on a resolution that would grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and call on the Security Council to favorably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations. The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent. US deputy ambassador Robert Wood has made it clear that the Biden administration opposes the assembly resolution.
Under the UN Charter, prospective members of the United Nations must be “peace-loving,” and the Security Council must recommend their admission to the general assembly for final approval. Palestine became a UN non-member observer state in 2012. However, unlike the Security Council, where vetoes can be used, there are no vetoes in the 193-member general assembly, so the resolution is expected to be approved by a large majority. The draft resolution “determines” that a state of Palestine is qualified for membership and recommends that the Security Council reconsider its request “favorably.”
The renewed push for full Palestinian membership in the UN comes amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has brought international attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The draft resolution was modified to address concerns from the United States, Russia, and China. The final draft drops the language that would put Palestine “on equal footing with member states.” To address concerns from China and Russia, it would adopt the rights and privileges in an annex “on an exceptional basis and without setting a precedent.” The draft also clarifies that the state of Palestine, as an observer state, does not have the right to vote in the general assembly or put forward its candidature to United Nations organs. The resolution would grant Palestine the right to speak on all issues, propose agenda items, reply in debates, and be elected as officers in the assembly’s main committees. However, it drops their “right to vote” originally included in the draft.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas first applied for UN membership in 2011, but it failed to gain enough support in the Security Council. However, the Palestinians successfully obtained non-member observer state status in the general assembly, allowing them to join UN and other international organizations, including the International Criminal Court. In the Security Council vote on April 18, the Palestinians received more support for full UN membership, but the United States vetoed the resolution.
