United Nations Security Council resolution on granting Palestine full-member status at the UN, that was vetoed by the United States
Twelve of the 15 council members voted in favor, while Britain and Switzerland abstained.
Israel became a full member of the UN in 1949.
The “Question of Palestine” has been tossed around for decades, and even though the state of Palestine received permanent observer status in 2012, and temporary powers of a full member during its tenure as Chair of the G-77 and China grouping, in 2019, it has not been recognised as a full member so far
The U.S. view that the most expeditious path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the support of the United States and other partners
U.S. long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas – a terrorist organization – is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution
How a State Becomes a UN Member
Article 4 of the UN Charter states that the UN “is open to all other peace-loving States which accept the obligations contained in the present UN Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.”
A State seeking membership to the UN first submits an application to the Secretary-General.
The State also makes a formal declaration, stating that it accepts the obligations of membership as stated in the UN Charter.
How a State Becomes a UN Member
The Security Council(SC) considers the application.
Any recommendation for admission must receive nine affirmative votes of Council members, and no veto or negative vote from any of the five permanent members.
Should the SC recommend the State’s admission to the UN, the recommendation is presented to the GA for consideration.
A two-thirds majority vote is necessary for admission.
Membership to the UN becomes effective on the date the resolution for admission is adopted
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