Palestinian UN Membership Bid Unlikely to Pass Vote to Security Council
The Palestinian bid for full United Nations membership went before the 15 member United Nations Security Council Friday despite a report by the admissions committee that said there was not sufficient support to approve the request.
It is unclear if the Palestinians will push for an official vote despite the lack of support from the Security Council.
To become a member state of the U.N., the Palestinians would need nine votes. There also can be no veto from permanent members, which include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China.
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The U.S. has already vowed to block the measure. The report issued by the admissions council does not specify which countries would vote in favor, oppose or abstain from a vote on the Palestinian bid.
Reports indicate the Palestinians would only have eight votes in favor of approving the membership.
“Even if we go for a vote and do not have nine (having eight votes is) nothing to be ashamed of,” said Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour.
Brazil, China, India, Lebanon, Russia and South Africa have publicly backed the Palestinian efforts, while Nigeria and Gabon are expected to back the bid, the AFP reported. Portugal, France, Germany, Bosnia and Colombia would likely abstain from a vote.
The Palestinians could petitions the U.N. general Assembly to seek extended observer status that would put it on par with the Vatican City in the U.N.
In October, the Palestinian delegation was granted membership in the United Nation’s cultural agency, UNESCO. The membership approval prompted the U.S. to quickly pull funding from the group.
The U.S. opposition to granting Palestinians membership rests largely on the concern that it may derail any potential peace process talks with Israel, according to reports.
