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UN general assembly calls on Security Council to admit Palestine as member
๐ Abstract
The article discusses the United Nations General Assembly's call for the UN Security Council to admit Palestine as a member state.
๐ Q&A
[01] UN General Assembly's Call for Palestine Membership
1. What did the UN General Assembly do regarding Palestine's membership?
- The UN General Assembly has enhanced Palestine's rights within the organization and called for it to be accepted as a member.
- Palestine currently has non-member observer state status since 2012, which allows some rights short of a full member.
- The General Assembly's vote can be seen as a gesture of support for the Palestinians, even though membership can only be decided by the UN Security Council.
2. How did the Palestinian and Israeli representatives respond to the resolution?
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the resolution, saying it supported Palestinian efforts for another vote on the issue by the Security Council.
- Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said the body had welcomed a "terror state" into its ranks and accused members of having metaphorically shredded the UN Charter by passing the resolution.
3. What is the current status of Palestinian statehood recognition?
- In 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) first declared the establishment of the State of Palestine.
- According to Reuters, Palestinian statehood has been recognized by 139 out of 193 UN member states, although this is largely seen as symbolic.
- In practice, the Palestinians have limited self-government through the Palestinian Authority (PA) in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while the PA lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas in 2007.
- Israel does not recognize Palestinian statehood and the current Israeli government opposes the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
4. What is the US position on Palestinian statehood?
- The US endorses the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel (the two-state solution), but says such a state should only come through direct negotiations between the two sides.
- The US recently vetoed a bid for Palestine's full UN membership, which the General Assembly's resolution can be seen as a response to.
[02] European Countries' Plans to Recognize Palestinian Statehood
1. What are the reported plans of several European countries regarding Palestinian statehood recognition?
- According to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Spain will recognize a Palestinian state on May 21, and Ireland, Slovenia and Malta will also take this step, though the exact date is not confirmed.
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