UN General Assembly reopens debate on Palestine’s accession at the UN

The UN General Assembly will vote on a draft resolution that calls for the accession of Palestine as a full member, which could position the issue again within the Security Council.

The consideration will be presented to the General Assembly after the United States, in April, vetoed the request for recognition as a member state, which received 12 votes in favor within the Security Council, with the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstaining.

This Friday, the Assembly will add to the vote of a draft resolution that would recommend that the Security Council reconsider the matter favorably and even grant additional rights.

According to the proposal, sponsored by the United Arab Emirates, Palestine meets the membership criteria under Article Four of the UN Charter and should therefore be admitted.

The draft also calls for other arrangements to allow Palestine’s participation in sessions of the General Assembly, and its participation in meetings organized by UN bodies and conferences, with the condition that this be done “exceptionally and without setting a precedent.”

Other provisions insist on the right to occupy seats among member states in alphabetical order; and participate as a speaker on agenda items other than Palestinian and Middle East issues. In addition, it calls on Secretary-General António Guterres to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the right of Palestinians to self-determination and statehood.

The vote, which according to experts would also function as a global survey on full membership for the Palestinians, is a continuation of the process begun last month at the request of the Palestinian Government.

Currently, more than 140 nations recognize the Palestinian State, however, within the UN, Palestine has maintained observer status since 2012, a condition that allows it to work in the forum but with limitations.

Apart from Palestine, only the Vatican has an observer seat, but the most recent outbreak of hostilities reopened debates about the need to achieve full member status, which has been pending since the founding of Israel.