The United Nations General Assembly, on Friday, May 10th, passed a draft resolution with 143 affirmative votes, recognizing Palestine as eligible for membership in the organization. The draft was presented by the representative of the United Arab Emirates on behalf of the Arab Group. However, nine countries, including the United States and Israel, voted against it, and 25 others abstained. In response to the approval of this draft, Israel’s representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, threw the UN Charter at the representatives of all countries in the shredder, a feat that few countries could undertake.
Following the approval of the resolution, the General Assembly requested the Security Council to reconsider its position on accepting Palestine’s full membership, as such membership cannot be achieved without the Council’s approval. Importantly, the Security Council had previously discussed Palestine’s membership on Thursday, April 18th of the current year, but the resolution was not passed due to the United States exercising its veto power. The draft resolution, presented by Algeria, a non-permanent member of the Council, faced opposition from the United States, along with abstentions from Britain and Switzerland, while other countries voted in favor. The US veto sparked considerable reactions, once again accusing the US of violating the rights of Palestinians and supporting what is perceived as Israeli aggression.
What is the story behind Palestine’s membership in the United Nations?
The first step towards Palestine’s membership in the United Nations was taken slowly in the 1970s. In May 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) emerged, with Yasser Arafat, the leader and founder of the Fatah movement, at its helm. The activities of the PLO led the United Nations to recognize its existence as the official representative of Palestinians. The United Nations General Assembly granted “observer” status to the PLO on November 22, 1974, allowing it to participate in the Assembly’s sessions.
The Palestine Liberation Organization took the second step, which was unexpected: the unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood in November 1988. Arafat made this declaration through an official statement while in exile in Algeria. The United Nations supported the PLO’s statement and confirmed it with a resolution in December 1988. The UN resolution mandated that henceforth, “Palestine” be used instead of the PLO in correspondence and communications. The UN’s action at that time demonstrated that Palestine deserved statehood and could potentially become a member of the organization in the future.
The third step was taken by Mahmoud Abbas, the current leader of the Fatah movement and the Palestinian self-governing bodies. Fatah, disappointed by the failure to implement the provisions of the Oslo Accords, turned to the United Nations to obtain membership. If the Oslo Accord had been implemented, a Palestinian state with defined borders would have been established, which did not happen. Ultimately, Abbas sought refuge in the United Nations, aiming to gain some privileges through membership if unable to establish a Palestinian state. In September 2011, he requested membership in the United Nations from the Security Council, but it was vetoed by the US. Later, on November 29, 2012, the General Assembly upgraded Palestine’s status in the United Nations from “observer entity” to “non-member observer state” with Resolution 138, which garnered 138 affirmative votes, 9 votes against, and 41 abstentions.
The fourth attempt, made by Abbas in December 2014, to secure full membership was rejected by the United States.
Despite the futile efforts by the Fatah leader for the fifth time, due to the US exercising its veto power, the General Assembly stood alongside him, as mentioned in the introduction.
Does Palestine’s membership in the United Nations signify the end of the crisis?
The reality is that even if Palestine formally becomes the 194th member of the United Nations, the ongoing crisis between it and Israel will not be resolved. Palestine already holds a semi-full membership status in the United Nations, yet there has been minimal progress in improving the livelihoods of Palestinians. As mentioned earlier, since November 2012, Palestine has been referred to as a “state” within the United Nations, despite not having full membership. Palestine participates in the General Assembly sessions and has representatives who speak on its behalf. It also holds membership in some reputable international organizations, including the International Criminal Court and UNESCO. However, the recent approval of the resolution may facilitate its membership process in international bodies further. Nevertheless, there has been little progress towards establishing an independent Palestinian state with defined and recognized borders.
Even if Palestine achieves full membership in the United Nations, apart from benefiting from the right to vote and non-permanent membership in the Security Council, necessarily, there will not be a clear and effective step toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state unless significant powers, especially the United States, seriously intervene. If the goal is to establish an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, it necessitates addressing challenges such as the expansion of settlement policies, the increasing geographical constraints on the West Bank and Gaza, the fate of refugees and their increasing numbers, Tel Aviv’s reluctance to consent to the creation of a Palestinian state, Palestine’s abstention from implementing previous Security Council resolutions for withdrawal from occupied territories, and more. It does not seem that the United Nations is capable of solving and addressing these challenges. For instance, after six months of effort and struggle, the Security Council issued a resolution to stop the Gaza war, which was well-received, but minimal steps were taken to operationalize its provisions. Therefore, Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations does not necessarily mean an end to the current plight that Palestinians endure.
It seems that the United States does not support Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations for two apparent reasons: first, to consider Israel’s interests, and second if there is a resolution to the Palestinian issue, it prefers to be the sole major player. Therefore, it emphasizes resolving the conflict through negotiations. Washington’s opposition occurs while it sees itself as a defender of the two-state solution proposal. Robert Wood, the US representative to the United Nations, also stated, “The United States continues to support a two-state solution strongly. This vote against Palestinian statehood does not reflect a denial of the right to establish a Palestinian state but rather an acknowledgment that this can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties.”
You can read the Persian version of this analysis here: