Palestinian bid for UN membership set for Security Council vote

The UN Security Council is due to vote on a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, diplomats said, a move that Israel’s ally the US is expected to block because it would effectively recognise a Palestinian state, reports Reuters.

The 15-member council had initially been scheduled to vote on the measure on Friday. It will now vote at 5 pm EDT (9 pm GMT/10 pm BST) on Thursday, the diplomats said.

The resolution granting the observer State of Palestine full membership at the international body would be an “important pillar in achieving peace in the region”, Ziad Abu Amr, UN special representative of the observer State of Palestine, has told the UN Security Council (UNSC) ahead of a vote.

“We are still longing to practise our right to self-determination, to live in freedom, security and peace in an independent state similar to other countries around the world,” Abu Amr said on Thursday, adding that Palestinians “made and continue to make great sacrifices to achieve this goal.”

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan used his address to the UNSC to accuse the body of being politicised and of voting on a resolution that was a “prize to terrorists” involved in the October 7 attack staged by the Palestinian group Hamas, which governs Gaza.

The representative also argued that the PA has no authority over Gaza and some parts of the West Bank. “So, who is the UN going to recognise? Who is going to be in charge?” he asked.