Palestine UN membership: Eight UNSC members declare prompt support

Palestine UN membership: Eight UNSC members declare prompt support

Hameed Shaheen

ISLAMABAD: The UN Security Council’s Standing Committee (SC) on Admission of New UN Members has considered on Friday the crucial move of Palestine for full UN membership. The SC comprises all the fifteen members of the Security Council - five permanent and ten term members.

At the very outset eight out of fifteen members have, international reports say, already declared their prompt support to the Palestine petition for UN membership, laid earlier before UNSC by President Mahmoud Abbas during the ongoing 66th annual session of the General Assembly in New York.

The Security Council members declaring prompt support to Palestinian UN membership are China, Russia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Lebanon, Niger and Gabon. The EU and OIC also support Palestine to be UN member. From among EU members, France and Britain are also permanent members of the UNSC.

Meanwhile, Palestine UN Envoy Mr Riyad Mansour told media that they have also mustered support of the ninth member on the Standing Committee.

As per UNSC norms support of nine members out of fifteen means procedural and technical backing of the whole Standing Committee on Admission of New UN Members. This is the biggest initial victory for the Palestinians struggling since 1948.

But this initial win of the Palestinians faces the potential veto by the United States, a sword to cut international mandate to resolve the Middle East crisis via UN into shocking shreds. “US is habitual of using her brute vetoes in keep the disputes bleeding as her past role in the UNSC shows”, a professor of international politics commented.

The US has already shown its ire when withheld $200 million aid to the Palestine Authority as pressure monetary number one.

Earlier, on Wednesday the Security Council accepting the Palestinian UN membership dossier had taken within two minutes the decision to refer it for consideration under procedures to the Standing Committee on Admission of New UN Members. END

It may recalled that the UNSC resolution No. 181 of November 1948 prescribes a two-state – Palestine and Israel - solution to the Middle East dispute.