Title: UN Security Council to Meet on April 8 to Discuss Palestine's UN Membership

The Permanent Mission of Malta, which holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, has announced that "the Council will hold a closed session on Monday, April 8, to discuss Palestine's request to resume consideration for its membership in the United Nations." The mission indicated that "at 10:00, consultations will be held to discuss the Palestinian request to resume consideration of its application for UN membership." Palestine has the status of a permanent observer at the United Nations. Full UN membership requires approval from the UN Security Council, where the United States can exercise its veto power, followed by at least a two-thirds majority approval from the General Assembly, which consists of 193 members. A committee of the Security Council reviewed the Palestinian request in 2011 for several weeks, but the committee did not reach a unanimous position, and the Council has never voted on a resolution recommending Palestinian membership.