The Palestinians have officially relaunched their bid to become a full member state in the United Nations.
The Palestinians, who have enjoyed observer status at the UN since 2012, have long sought full membership, which would imply recognition of Palestinian statehood.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour requested upon instructions of the Palestinian leadership that the Security Council revisit a 2011 application this month.
Mansour has consistently stated in recent months that in the face of Israel’s military onslaught in the Gaza Strip, in response to Hamas’s October 7 attack, Palestinians prioritized UN membership.
Any proposal to become a UN member-state must first be recommended by the council, followed by a two-thirds vote in the General Assembly.
The 2011 application, launched by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, was never brought to the Security Council for a vote, and the General Assembly granted the Palestinians observer membership in November 2012.
Observers fear the Palestinian campaign for membership will fail to reach the assembly because the United States, Israel’s closest ally, might use its Security Council veto authority to thwart the recommendation.
On Tuesday, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the Non-Aligned Movement wrote Guterres a letter backing the Palestinian request.
“We wish to bring to your attention that, as of this date, 140 Member States have recognized the state of Palestine”, stated the joint letter, which included a list of those countries.
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