Palestine currently has observer status in the United Nations and is seated at the back of the General Assembly Hall.
The tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly today adopted a resolution by a vote of 143 in favour, 9 against and 25 abstentions, concluding that the State of Palestine is eligible for membership in the United Nations under the Charter of the United Nations and should be admitted to membership in the United Nations. Accordingly, the resolution recommended that the Council reconsider the application of Palestine for membership in the United Nations "favourably speaking".
Palestine is currently an observer State of the United Nations. In September 2011, President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine submitted an application to then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the country to become a full member of the United Nations. At that time, the Palestinians suspended the application due to the tough stance of the United States on the issue.
In early April this year, at the request of Palestine, the 15 members of the Security Council considered Palestine's application for membership in the United Nations for the first time in 13 years and voted 12 in favour, 1 against and 2 abstentions on a draft resolution allowing Palestine to join the United Nations as a full Member State. The draft was not adopted because of the veto exercised by the United States, a permanent member. The United Kingdom and Switzerland abstained.
After the vote, the representative of the United States said that there was no agreement among the members of the Council as to whether Palestine met the criteria for membership under Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations. There were still outstanding questions as to whether the applicant country met the criteria for being considered a country.
At the request of a number of Governments, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Francis, decided to convene a resumed tenth emergency special session on 10 May and to vote on a draft resolution submitted by the United Arab Emirates on behalf of the Group of Arab States.
Content of the resolution
The resolution stresses the General Assembly's conviction that the State of Palestine is fully qualified for membership in the United Nations, as provided for in Article 4 of the Charter, and that the Member States of the United Nations have generally affirmed their support for the admission of the State of Palestine to membership in the United Nations.
The resolution expressed "deep regret and concern" at the rejection by a permanent member of the Security Council of Palestine's application for membership in the United Nations, and recommended that the Council reconsider the application of Palestine for membership from a favourable perspective, in accordance with the findings of the General Assembly and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 28 May 1948 and in strict accordance with Article 4 of the Charter.
The resolution also grants Palestine a series of rights and privileges when participating in United Nations meetings, including seating arrangements and the order in which they are on the list of speakers, from the opening of the 79th session of the General Assembly in September this year.
At the same time, the resolution indicates that the State of Palestine, as an observer State, does not have the right to vote in the General Assembly or to stand as a candidate for election to a seat in a United Nations body.
▌UAE representative: The Security Council must heed the world's call for Palestinian statehood
联合国图片/Manuel Elias
Mohamed Issa Hamad Mohamed Abushahab, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, introduced the draft resolution on behalf of the Arab Group. He stated that the draft resolution recommended that the Council reconsider the question of Palestine's candidacy for full membership in the United Nations.
"Today is a decisive moment," he said. ”
Abu Shahab noted that the State of Palestine had acceded to a number of international treaties, adhered to the Charter of the United Nations and met the requirements for statehood, indicating that it deserved to be a full member of the international community. In addition, more than 140 countries now recognize Palestine as a State.
He said that the adoption of the resolution in the context of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict would be conducive to a two-State solution to the crisis, and that the Security Council must respond to the will of the international community.
▌Observer for Palestine: The Palestinian flag will fly high
联合国图片/Manuel Elias
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, recounted the devastating impact of the ongoing war in Gaza, with more than 35,000 Palestinians killed, another 80,000 injured and more than 2 million displaced.
"For the Palestinians and for their families, communities and our country as a whole, this loss and trauma cannot be expressed in words," he said. It is true that Palestine will not disappear, but the lives lost are irretrievable. ”
Palestinians in Gaza, he said, have been cornered into the Gaza Strip, and the indiscriminate bombs and bullets have pushed them to the brink.
Despite the attacks and destruction, the Palestinian flag flew high in Palestine and throughout the world, becoming "a symbol of all those who believe in freedom and just rule".
He said that people must decide: to support the right of a people to live in freedom and dignity in the land of their ancestors, to support peace and to recognize the rights of Palestinians. Otherwise, they are going against history.
Fifty years after Palestine became an observer state, Mansour said, "we hope that all those who invoke the Charter of the United Nations will abide by the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, as guaranteed by the Charter." ”
He pointed out that voting in favour was a vote for the survival of Palestine, not against any country, but against attempts to deprive Palestine of its right to statehood. It is an investment in peace and will strengthen the power of peace.
▌ Israel representative: Additional benefits for Palestine will appease terrorists
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Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, Gild Erdan, said that after Hitler came to power, the Nazis tried to exterminate the Jews and all those they considered inferior human beings, but the forces of justice brought the world back to peace, and the United Nations was established to ensure that this tyranny does not rise again.
Erdan said: "Today, you are doing the opposite. You are welcoming a terrorist State to the United Nations. You have opened the doors of the United Nations to modern Nazism. It makes me sick. ”
He said the terrorist group Hamas controls Gaza and occupies parts of the West Bank. He also held up a poster showing the Hamas leader, whom he called "a terrorist diplomat whose stated goal is to commit genocide against Jews."
Erdan noted that the UN is appeasing "murderous dictators" and undermining the UN Charter. This day will go down in history.
Finally, he lifted a portable electric shredder and shredded the cover of the UN Charter booklet on the spot.
▌Russian representative: Palestine deserves to join the United Nations
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Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, speaking before the vote, criticized the United States for saying the resolution was complicated because it sought to push Palestine as much as possible without causing the United States to use its veto again.
He pointed out that Palestine deserved to become a full Member of the United Nations.
"It's everyone's moral responsibility," he said. Only by becoming a full Member of the United Nations will Palestine be able to enjoy the rights that come with that status, along with other States Members of the United Nations. ”
▌ Pakistan representative: A vote on the resolution will determine whether there is strong support for Palestine's accession to the United Nations
Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, said that one day Israel will be held accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians, especially in Gaza.
He said that today's humiliation is "the arrogance of the aggressor" and reflects the impunity of the occupiers, and he expressed the hope that the international community will respond appropriately.
Akram stressed that the adoption of the resolution will determine the broad support for Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations.
143 votes to 9, with 24 abstentions: the resolution was adopted
In the end, the draft resolution submitted by the UAE on behalf of the Group of Arab States received overwhelming support.
143 countries, including China, France, and Russia, voted in favor, 9 countries including the United States and Israel voted against, and 25 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Ukraine, abstained.
联合国图片/Manuel Elias
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution by an overwhelming majority, recommending that the Security Council reconsider Palestine's application for membership.
▌ U.S. representative: The nation must be built through negotiations
Explaining the reasons for the vote, Robert Wood, deputy permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, said that this does not mean that the United States is opposed to Palestinian statehood.
He said the United States has been very clear about its support for Palestinian statehood and hopes for meaningful progress. The United States voted against it because it believed that Palestinian statehood could only be achieved through direct negotiations between the two sides.
"There is no other way to guarantee Israel's security and future as a democratic Jewish state," he said. There is no other way to guarantee that Palestinians can live in peace and dignity in their own country. ”
Wood said the United States is committed to strengthening its engagement with the Palestinians and other countries in the Middle East to advance a political solution that will open the way for Palestinian statehood and subsequent membership in the United Nations.
"This resolution does not address the concerns raised in the Security Council in April about Palestine's application for membership," he said. If the Security Council were to reconsider Palestine's application for membership as a result of that resolution, the result would be similar. ”
▌ China representative: The international community is aspiring
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Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said that the establishment of an independent state is the long-cherished aspiration of the Palestinian people, and formal membership in the United Nations is a key step in this historical process. Regrettably, the application of the State of Palestine to become a full Member of the United Nations was ruthlessly vetoed by the United States in the Security Council on 18 April.
He said: "The United States' repeated use of its veto power on the Palestinian-Israeli issue and its unreasonable obstruction of the international community's efforts to resolve the long-standing historical injustice suffered by Palestine are inconsistent with the responsibilities of a responsible major country." ”
Fu Cong said that China welcomes this historic resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly, which reflects the aspirations of the international community. China supports the Security Council's reconsideration of the application of the State of Palestine as soon as possible, as called for in the General Assembly resolutions.
"We believe that these special arrangements, to the extent permitted by the UN Charter, will help the international community to listen more fully to the voice of Palestine and to engage in dialogue and negotiations between Palestine and Israel on a relatively equal footing," he said. We are confident that the arrangements will not be permanent and that one day the State of Palestine will become a full Member of the United Nations and will enjoy full and equal rights in the United Nations with all other Member States. ”
How do I become a member of the United Nations?
The Charter of the United Nations states: "Members of the United Nations may be admitted to the United Nations by any peace-loving nation which accepts the obligations set forth in the Charter of the United Nations and who, in the opinion of the Organization, are capable of fulfilling those obligations." "A country applying for membership in the United Nations must be recommended by the Security Council and then decided by the General Assembly in order to be admitted to the United Nations.
The application process is broadly as follows:
1. The applicant State submits an application to the Secretary-General, together with a letter formally declaring its acceptance of the obligations contained in the Charter of the United Nations.
2. The Security Council considers the application. At least 9 of the 15 members of the Security Council must vote in favour and none of the 5 permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) vote against it in order to adopt any proposal to admit new members.
3. If the Security Council recommends the admission of the State, the recommendation will be forwarded to the General Assembly of the United Nations for consideration. However, a two-thirds majority of Member States must vote in favour of the General Assembly before a new Member State can be admitted. If the Council does not recommend an applicant for membership or defers consideration of its application, the General Assembly may, after full consideration of the Council's special report, send the application, together with the full record of the Assembly's discussions, back to the Council for further consideration, recommendation or report.
4. Membership shall take effect on the date of adoption of the General Assembly resolution on the admission of new Members.