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UN Security Council Fails To Reach Agreement On Palestinian Membership Application

Saturday November 12, 2011 03:22 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The United Nations Security council stated on Friday that it was unable to reach an agreement on the Palestinian application for full UN membership.

The Admissions Committee of the Security Council was unable to make a decision in this regard, an issue that is considered another blow to the Palestinian bid, pushing it closer to collapse.

The Palestinian application needs nine votes to secure a decision from the UN Security Council (UNSC)on whether or not to hold a vote of the statehood application.

The Qatar based news agency, Al Jazeera, reported that the Palestinians have eight firm supporters on the UNSC.

Should the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) choose to push for a vote without securing the vital ninth vote, the United States will not be forced to use its Veto power to prevent the bid from succeeding.

The Admissions Committee, which includes fifteen Security Council members, issued a draft report on the deadlock; the bid will now be sent back to the Security Council.

Head of the Security Council for November, Portuguese envoy Jose Filipe Moraes Cabral, stated that the after receiving the report, the council will be discussing any future initiatives.

The application for full UN membership was officially filed by Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, on September 23rd.

The United States and Israel led an international campaign to topple the bid, and claimed that it is mainly aimed at "de-legitimizing" Israel, adding that a Palestinian state can only be established through direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Palestinian leadership had to quit peace talks with Israel due to its ongoing settlement activities in the occupied territories, especially settlement construction and expansion in and around illegally annexed East Jerusalem.

The decision to quit talks was also made due to Israel’s ongoing incursions and assaults in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and Israel’s demolition of Arab homes in Jerusalem.

Riyad Mansour, P. A. envoy at the United Nations, stated that although the Palestinians were hoping for a positive vote, they will not give up.

The P.A. will be weighing its options, especially while the U.S. is siding by Israel, despite the fact that Washington maintains that they are an impartial mediator in the peace talks.

The P.A. can head to the UN General Assembly, to ask for an upgrade in their status from an non-voting “observer entity” to a “non-member state” of observer status; if it does it will need two-thirds majority, or 129 votes, and they will likely get it. The upgraded status is what the Vatican currently holds, it is an indirect recognition of Palestinian statehood, and is the next step in achieving full recognition.

Becoming a non-member state will give the Palestinian Authority the chance to participate in more United Nations activities, including becoming a signatory to certain international treaties, and allow them to become a part of the International Criminal Court.

President Mahmoud Abbas will be holding a meeting with representatives of the Arab league next week, in order to decide whether to head to the Security Council, or seek an observer status in vote at the General Assembly.

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