Members of the UN Security Council failed on Thursday to reach a consensus on the Palestinian bid for full membership in the United Nations, as announced by the council's president. In September 2011, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas initiated the procedure and requested "the admission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations." This initiative did not yield results, but Palestinians obtained the status of a "non-member observer state" in November 2012.
Last week, the Palestinian side revived the membership request in a letter addressed to the Security Council, which began reviewing the process on Monday. In the second closed meeting of the "Committee on the Admission of New Members" on Thursday, "there was no consensus," according to Maltese Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, who is presiding over the Security Council in April. She stated that "two-thirds" of Council members support full membership for Palestinians, without naming them. However, this committee can only make decisions by consensus.
Nevertheless, this does not mark the end of the Palestinian step. After the committee's report, any member state of the council can propose a resolution for a vote on this membership. According to diplomatic sources, a vote could be held on April 18, initiated by Algeria, which represents Arab states in the council. The Maltese ambassador hinted that such a resolution would require 9 votes out of 15, but observers doubt that the initiative will pass due to the position of the United States, which has previously opposed this approach in 2011.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood confirmed on Monday that "our position has not changed," emphasizing that the recognition of a Palestinian state should occur within the framework of an agreement with Israel, not in the United Nations. He stated that the United States is "constrained by U.S. law," which stipulates that "if the Security Council approves the admission of a Palestinian state outside of a bilateral agreement," UN funding must be "cut."
For his part, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said this week, "All we are asking for is to take our rightful place within the international community," expressing hope for a Security Council vote on April 18.