The draft resolution demanding Palestine’s full membership in the UN was put to vote by Algeria in the 15-member UNSC. While the UK and Switzerland “abstained”, Russia, China, France, Algeria, Malta, Ecuador, Guyana, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, South Korea and Japan voted “yes”.
In order for the draft resolution to pass, none of the 5 permanent members had to vote “no” and a total of 9 “yes” votes had to be received.
In the text of the draft resolution, “It is recommended that Palestine be accepted as a full member of the UN General Assembly.” The statement was included.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION OF PALESTINE
Palestine applied for full membership to the UN in 2011, but did not receive the necessary support in the UNSC. Palestine gained UN “permanent observer status” in 2012. In his statement on April 2, Palestine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Riyad Mansur, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and requested that membership applications be reconsidered.
Guterres also wrote a letter to the UNSC on April 3, calling for Palestine’s demand to be put on the agenda. The UNSC forwarded Palestine’s request to the “Committee for the Admission of New Members” on April 8. The Committee, which was supposed to return to the UNSC regarding membership, announced that it could not reach an agreement after two meetings. Following this, Algeria opened the draft resolution for Palestine’s membership to negotiations. (AA)