By Cecilia Ologunagba
Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has expressed sadness over Security Council Members voting in favour of granting Palestine UN Membership, saying the vote will make peace almost impossible.
In a vote of 12 in favour to one against, with two abstentions, the Council did not adopt a draft resolution that would have recommended the General Assembly to hold a vote with the broader UN membership to allow Palestine to join as a full UN Member State.
The draft resolution is among the shortest in the Council’s history: “The Security Council, having examined the application of the State of Palestine for admission to the United Nations (S/2011/592), recommends to the General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”
For a draft resolution to pass, the Council must have at least nine members in favour and none of its permanent members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States – using their veto power.
Erdan said the Palestine Authority is a terror-supporting entity, “paying terrorists to slaughter us”, and Palestinians do not even recognise Israel as a Jewish State.
He said Hamas was not mentioned here today because the Palestinian representative here does not represent at least half the Palestinian population.
“Regardless of the Palestinians’ failure to meet the necessary criteria for UN membership, most of you sadly decided to reward Palestinian terror with a Palestinian State,” he said.
“It’s very sad because your vote will only embolden Palestinian rejectionism even more and make peace almost impossible.”
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, said his people’s right to self-determination has never once been subject to bargaining or negotiation.
“It is a natural, historic and legal right “to live in our homeland, Palestine, as an independent State that is free and that is sovereign,” he said.
“We came to the Security Council today as an important historic moment, regionally and internationally, so that we could salvage what can be saved.
“We place you before a historic responsibility to establish the foundations of a just and comprehensive peace in our region.”
Council members were given the opportunity “to revive the hope that has been lost among our people” and to translate their commitment towards a two-State solution into firm action.
He said “that cannot be maneuvered or retracted”, and the majority of Council members “have risen to the level of this historic moment, and they have stood on the side of justice and freedom and hope, in line with the ethical and humanitarian and legal principles that must govern our world and in line with simple logic.”
Mansour expressed appreciation to the countries who supported Palestine’s request for UN membership and to those voted in favour of the draft resolution.
“The fact that this resolution did not pass will not break our will, and it will not defeat our determination,” he said.
“We will not stop in our effort. The State of Palestine is inevitable. It is real. Perhaps they see it as far away, but we see it as near, and we are the faithful.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that right now, Palestine is a “Permanent Observer State” at the UN.
It is enjoying the status that allows it to participate in all of the Organisation’s proceedings, except for voting on draft resolutions and decisions in its main organs and bodies, from the Security Council to the General Assembly and its six main committees.
However, some other participation is off-limits to Permanent Observers.
This was made clear by a General Assembly resolution which temporarily, for 2019 during which Palestine served as chair of the Group of 77 developing countries and China (G77), accorded to Palestine additional rights: to submit proposals and amendments and introduce them, to exercise a right of reply.
These rights temporarily accorded to Palestine then expired as of 2020.
On April 2, 2024, Palestine sent the UN Secretary-General a letter requesting renewed consideration be given to the application of Palestine for admission to membership in the UN, a request originally submitted in 2011.
Upon receipt of the request, the UN chief forwarded it to the Security Council, which on April 8 took up the matter in an open meeting.
The process is a continuation of what happened in September 2011, when the Palestinian President sent a letter with the application request for UN membership to the UN chief, who promptly sent the application to the Security Council and the General Assembly.
In accordance with the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, the Security Council referred the matter to its Committee on Admission of New Members, where members deliberated but were not unanimous on approving the request. (NAN)
