New move from UN Security Council for Palestine: Full membership request to be referred to Committee

Malta's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Vanessa Frazier, made a statement to the press following a closed-door session where Palestine's membership application was re-evaluated.

STATED WHEN THE PROCESS WILL BE COMPLETED

Stating that any UNSC member could submit a draft resolution regarding Palestine's membership during this process, Frazier provided the information: "We have decided to officially refer the full membership request of observer state Palestine to the 'Committee on the Admission of New Members' with the UNSC session we will hold today."

Frazier noted that the Committee would re-examine Palestine's 2011 membership request and complete the process within the month of April.

RUSSIA'S UN PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE MADE A STATEMENT

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said in his statement on the matter that the Committee had essentially evaluated Palestine's membership application in 2011 and that they did not think it needed to be reviewed again.

Nebenzia stated that they had decided to give the Committee a more limited amount of time. Regarding how they evaluate Israel's opposition to Palestine's membership, Nebenzia said, "Israel also opposes the two-state solution."

REQUESTED AGAIN

Palestine had applied for full UN membership in 2011, but that application did not receive the necessary support in the UN Security Council. Palestine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, stated on April 2 that he had sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting that their membership application be reconsidered.

Guterres also wrote a letter to the UN Security Council on April 3, calling for Palestine's request to be placed on the agenda.

The process of admitting a new member to the UN begins in the Council. Following the discussions, the Council is expected to refer the matter to the "Committee on the Admission of New Members."

If the Committee returns a positive response, the UN Security Council must hold a vote, and for a positive decision, none of the permanent members must use their veto power, and 9 out of 15 members must vote "yes."

If a positive decision emerges from the Council, the matter is referred to the UN General Assembly. For membership to be approved in the 193-member UN General Assembly, a two-thirds majority of the votes is required.