Amid Gaza War, Palestinians Relaunch Bid To Become UN Member State

The Palestinians have officially revived their application to become a full member state in the United Nations, according to a letter from their UN envoy dated Tuesday and seen by AFP.

The Palestinians, who have had observer status at the world body since 2012, have lobbied for years to gain full membership, which would amount to 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 an application dating back to 2011 be reconsidered this month by the Security Council.

The letter has been transmitted to the council, according to the documents seen by AFP.

Mansour has repeatedly said in recent months that in the face of Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas, UN membership was a priority for the Palestinians.

Any request to become a UN member-state must first be recommended by the council, then endorsed by a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly.

The 2011 application, launched by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, never came before the Security Council for a vote, and the General Assembly voted to grant the Palestinians observer status in November 2012.

Observers believe the Palestinian push for membership is unlikely to reach the assembly as the United States, Israel’s closest ally, could use its Security Council veto power to derail the recommendation.

The League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement sent a letter to Guterres on Tuesday, also seen by AFP, supporting the bid by the Palestinians.

“We wish to bring to your attention that, as of this date, 140 Member States have recognized the state of Palestine,” said the joint letter, which included a list of those countries.