Symbolic vote
UN General Assembly calls for Palestinian membership
May 10, 2024, 6:44 p.m
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In the UN General Assembly there is a clear majority for resolutions critical of Israel or pro-Palestinian. Now the committee is voting by a large majority in favor of full membership for the Palestinians. But the decisive factor is the US veto in the Security Council.
In a purely symbolic vote, the UN General Assembly voted by a large majority to admit the Palestinians to the United Nations. 143 states voted for a resolution that would admit the Palestinians to the UN and grant them additional rights in addition to their current observer status. Nine states voted against, 25 countries – including Germany – abstained. Israel’s closest ally, the United States, rejected the request.
The result has no direct impact, as Washington is blocking full membership of the Palestinians in the UN with its veto in the UN Security Council. The last time they did this was in mid-April. The government of US President Joe Biden advocates a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East conflict, i.e. an independent Palestinian state that coexists peacefully with Israel. But the USA rejects the application for full UN membership with the argument that the UN is not the right place to recognize a Palestinian state – rather, it should emerge from an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, the vote in the UN General Assembly was also seen as an indication of the international mood regarding the recent escalations in the Middle East conflict. At the United Nations, there is a clear majority for resolutions critical of Israel or pro-Palestinian. There is no right of veto in the general assembly. The now adopted template called “Draft Resolution on the Admission of New Members to the United Nations” and the clear pro-Palestinian vote are now putting further pressure on the USA amid growing criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war in the Gaza Strip.
Membership only with the blessing of the Security Council
In the UN General Assembly, the Palestinians will now be allowed to behave in a similar way to normal members: representatives of Palestine are also allowed to speak on topics that have nothing to do with the Middle East conflict. They can also submit amendments to resolutions or propose new agenda items and carry out functions within the plenary session.
In order for a new state to be admitted to the United Nations, the 15-member Security Council must first agree. The motion must then be approved by the General Assembly, which consists of all 193 UN member states, with a two-thirds majority.
A majority of the 193 UN member states unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, according to the Palestinian Authority there are 137. Germany does not recognize a Palestinian state, but maintains diplomatic relations with the Palestinian territories.