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fullscreen UN Security Council. Archive image. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AP/TT
The members of the UN Security Council have not reached an agreement on the issue of whether Palestine – which today has observer status in the UN – should be allowed to become a full member state in the UN.
This is stated by the country holding the presidency of Malta, which leads the Council’s work during the month of April, on Thursday. The Palestinians recently decided to reopen a 2011 membership application in the wake of the Israel-Hamas Gaza war. This means that the application must initially be evaluated by a committee consisting of the member states, which thus failed to reach agreement.
The committee can only proceed with the process if there is consensus. But with it having made a decision, any of the 15 member states can now put forward a formal proposal for Palestinian membership. Diplomatic sources told AFP that such a vote could become relevant on April 18 through a bill from Algeria, which represents the Arab countries.
But even if that were to be the case, analysts predict that the proposal would not go through because the United States – a close ally of Israel – is expected to veto it.
Washington does not believe that the question of a Palestinian state is something to be dealt with by the Security Council, but instead to be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians.