UN General Assembly to vote on resolution for Palestine membership

A state can only gain full membership with backing from the Security Council and two-thirds majority in the General Assembly

Palestine has held permanent observer status at the UN since 2012, enabling it to engage in proceedings without being able to vote. AFP

The UN General Assembly is set to vote on a draft resolution on Friday that would recognise Palestine as eligible for full membership.

The text says the General Assembly “determines that the state of Palestine is, in its judgment, a peace-loving state within the meaning of Article 4 of the Charter, is able and willing to carry out the obligations of the Charter and should therefore be admitted to membership in the United Nations”.

The draft resolution, put forward by the UAE in its capacity as the Arab Group's chair for May, seeks to grant Palestine the rights and privileges to take part fully and effectively in General Assembly sessions and other UN conferences, “on equal footing with member states”.

According to UN regulations, prospective members of the United Nations must be “peace-loving,” and can only gain full membership with backing from the Security Council and a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly.

Palestine has held permanent observer status at the UN since 2012, allowing it to engage in proceedings without being able to vote.

A copy of the draft resolution, seen by The National, expresses “deep regret and concern” over the April 18 US veto of a Security Council proposal recommending the admission of the state of Palestine to full membership in the UN.

Twelve Security Council members voted in favour of granting Palestine full UN member status, while the UK and Switzerland abstained.

France, Japan, South Korea and Slovenia backed the resolution despite none of them individually recognising a Palestinian state.

But unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the 193-member General Assembly and the resolution is expected to be approved by over 140 states, according to an Arab diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Slovenia's UN representative Samuel Zbogar told reporters he anticipates greater European support for the measure this time around compared to previous times.

Palestine's UN ambassador optimistic about full membership – video

By voting in favour of the text, the 193 member states would recommend that the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”.

The Palestinian UN mission in New York said in a letter to UN member states that adoption of the draft text backing full membership at the world body would be an investment in preserving the long-sought-for two-state solution.

It said it would "constitute a clear reaffirmation of support at this very critical moment for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State."

According to a legislation by US Congress, Washington is prohibited from financing any UN agency that supports full membership for groups lacking the “internationally recognised attributes” of statehood.

"What we're concerned about is the precedent it sets. It's clearly outlined in the UN Charter, the procedure, the process for obtaining full membership in the United Nations, and any kind of a process that goes around that, to us is very concerning," Robert Wood, US deputy ambassador to the UN, told reporters in New York.

"What they [Palestinians] should be doing is sitting down with Israel at the appropriate point, discussing these issues, because we believe, as many other states do, that for this Palestinian membership of the UN to happen, it needs to be the result of the product of bilateral negotiations," he added.

Israel's UN ambassador Gilad Erdan slammed the draft General Assembly resolution, saying granting Palestine the status and rights of a state would go against the UN Charter.

“If it is approved, I expect the United States to completely stop funding the UN and its institutions, in accordance with American law,” said Mr Erdan.

He said that resolution's adoption by the General Assembly would not change anything in Gaza.

The measure also adds a provision in the annex on the issue of voting, stating categorically that in its capacity as an observer State, Palestine "does not have the right to vote in the General Assembly or to put forward its candidature to United Nations organs."

The push for Palestine's full membership in the world body comes seven months into a war between Israel and militant group Hamas.

Two hundred days of Israel Gaza war – in pictures