How far away is Palestine from joining the Union? , depth | UN General Assembly passes “historic” resolution

Release time:May 12, 2024 14:30 PM

On May 10, local time, at the request of many countries, the United Nations General Assembly held its 10th emergency special session to consider the issue of admitting Palestine to the United Nations. In the end, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution with 143 votes in favor, 9 votes against, and 25 abstentions, confirming that the State of Palestine meets the qualifications of a United Nations member state as stipulated in the United Nations Charter, and recommended that the Security Council reconsider Palestine's application for "joint membership".

This "historic" resolution has received widespread attention from the outside world. What does its adoption mean? Can it help alleviate the suffering that Palestinians are suffering? How will it affect the situation in Gaza and the Middle East peace process?

The latest resolution of the UN General Assembly was drafted by the United Arab Emirates, the current chair of the United Nations Arab Group, and was jointly sponsored by 70 countries. In addition to reaffirming the "two-state solution" to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the resolution also gives Palestine more UN rights, including sitting among member states in alphabetical order, the right to propose motions, and participating in the bureau seats of the UN General Assembly and its committees. But the resolution makes it clear that Palestine does not have the right to vote and cannot be a candidate for seats in United Nations agencies. In addition, the resolution recommended that the Security Council reconsider Palestine’s application for UN membership.

In the vote that day, 143 of the 193 member states of the United Nations voted in favor, 9 countries including the United States and Israel opposed, and 25 countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany abstained.

After the voting results were announced, the entire UN General Assembly applauded warmly. Mansour, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, excitedly raised his hands in the air to express his gratitude to everyone. He said this was a "historic" step for the Palestinian people on the road to political liberation. United Nations representatives from other countries lined up to express their congratulations to Mansour after the meeting.

The Israeli side was equally emotional. Before the vote, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Edan, stuffed the "United Nations Charter" pamphlet into a small shredder during his speech to express his opposition to the special meeting. After the vote, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz criticized the United Nations for "handing out prizes" to Hamas.

Except for the United States and Israel, most of those who voted against were pro-Israeli and pro-American countries, including Israel’s close allies in Europe, the Czech Republic and Hungary, Argentina, where the new president just visited Israel in February this year, and historically voting tendencies. Small Pacific island countries close to the United States - Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

143 to 9. Public opinion believes that in the context of the Gaza war that has lasted for more than seven months and resulted in the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians, the latest resolution of the United Nations General Assembly highlights the political momentum that cannot be ignored by the international community-supporting Palestinian statehood and joining the United Nations, Condemn the power politics and unreasonableness of Israel and the United States.

"The latest resolution of the UN General Assembly is only morally binding, not legally binding. However, it allows the Palestinian side to achieve two goals." Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Fudan University, mentioned two "returns."

"It has brought the Palestinian issue back to the center of the stage from the fringes of Middle East politics." Sun Degang pointed out that since the "Arab Spring" in 2011, the Iranian issue has gradually replaced the Palestinian issue as the core issue in the Middle East. Especially after the United States promoted the normalization of relations between Arab countries and Israel in 2020, the Palestinian issue was further forgotten. The "dead knot" of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is getting tighter step by step. The latest resolution of the UN General Assembly is an encouragement to the Palestinians and has also made the international community realize again that the Palestinian issue is the core of the Middle East issue and that Palestine's right to independent statehood cannot be ignored.

"It also brings the issue of Palestine's UN membership back to the Security Council for review." Sun Degang pointed out that the international community generally believes that to solve the Palestinian-Israeli issue, a "two-state solution" needs to be implemented. Supporting Palestine's "joining the United Nations" is an important step in promoting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and implementing the "two-state solution." It is reported that many European countries plan to collectively recognize the Palestinian state later this month. This will put greater pressure on Israel and the United States.

The establishment of an independent state is the long-cherished wish of the Palestinians. According to the internationally recognized "two-state solution", Palestine will establish a state based on the borders before the third Middle East War in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and its territory includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip. To this end, Palestine submitted a formal application to the United Nations to become a member state in 2011, but it was not approved by the Security Council.

According to the United Nations Charter, the admission of new members to the United Nations must be approved by the Security Council and the General Assembly at the same time. In terms of the Security Council, since the admission of new member states is a substantive issue, it requires the consent of at least nine Security Council members and is not vetoed by the permanent members. As for the UN General Assembly, relevant votes require the approval of a two-thirds majority of member states.

As a permanent member of the Security Council, the United States has veto power on the issue of Palestine’s accession to the UN. Due to the opposition of the United States, Palestine suspended its application to join the UN after encountering obstacles in 2011. It resubmitted its application to join the UN early last month, but failed again.

Some public opinion pointed out that as a party to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it is not surprising that Israel opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state. Once it recognizes the other party's independent statehood, it needs to withdraw from the settlements it has built in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The United States is different. Successive US presidents have declared their support for the "two-state solution" and presented themselves as "peace envoys", but why does Washington still block Palestine's "entry into the UN" time and time again?

Sun Degang noted that the Netanyahu government recently pushed a motion in parliament opposing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The reason is that Israel is worried that the establishment of Palestinian independence will pose a threat to its security and practical interests. Once Palestine becomes an independent state, its territory will include the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Palestine can hold Israel accountable under international law for occupying territory and launching attacks.

As for the United States, Sun Degang pointed out that it regards Israel as an important ally and a bridgehead to combat anti-American forces in the region. It has always emphasized the "special relationship" between the United States and Israel in order to consolidate its hegemony in the Middle East and cater to domestic political needs. For this reason, the United States verbally supports the "two-state solution" and has never stopped favoring and condoning Israel. It has set almost "unsolvable" conditions for the establishment of a Palestinian state, that is, Palestine and Israel must first reach a peace agreement and establish an independent Palestinian state. It cannot pose a threat to Israel.

However, “the policy objectives of the United States in the Middle East are contradictory and mutually diluted.” Sun Degang explained that it wants to support Israel and maintain global leadership without opposing Palestine. But precisely because of its support for Israel, the "double standards" of US values diplomacy have been exposed, and it has gradually become a loner in the world, the Middle East and the United Nations. It wanted to appease international public opinion, unite Arab allies and safeguard its own status, but in the end it backfired.

According to the latest resolution of the UN General Assembly, the issue of Palestine's "unification" will be "returned" to the Security Council for reconsideration. According to the Palestinian side, Palestine hopes that the Security Council can make a decision at the ministerial meeting on the Middle East issue to be held on the 18th of this month.

What is more subtle is that sources said that the U.S. State Department studied the policy implications of recognizing the Palestinian state in January. Public opinion is highly sensitive, and it has interpreted "the idea of recognizing Palestinian statehood within the Biden administration is changing."

Another senior U.S. official said that the United States is seeking to break old patterns and policies and get out of the Gaza War through diplomatic channels, such as linking the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia with the possibility of recognizing Palestinian statehood.

However, some Israeli officials have recently warned that according to relevant U.S. laws, if the United Nations grants formal membership to an object that "does not have internationally recognized national attributes," the U.S. government will not be allowed to fund it. In other words, if Palestine succeeds in becoming a full member of the United Nations, the United States may completely cut off financial funding to the United Nations and its affiliated agencies.

Public opinion is full of fog. Is there any chance of Palestine's "joining the UN"? Will its elevated status in the United Nations help bring an early end to the cycle of violence between Palestine and Israel?

"The biggest obstacle is still in the Security Council." Sun Degang pointed out that the United States has "one-vote veto power" and has set up obstacles that "Palestine and Israel must first reach a peace agreement." The United States will still vote against it in the Security Council, and Palestine's goal of "joining the UN" will still be difficult to achieve in the short term.

As far as the regional situation is concerned, "Peace in the Middle East is still far away." Sun Degang mentioned two perspectives.

From the Israeli side, its ground operation in Rafah is imminent. Although the international community is increasing pressure on Israel, Israel has historically shrugged off external condemnation. In order to retain power, Netanyahu is expected to stick to a tough stance and continue to take desperate risks, creating external conflicts to divert internal pressure.

From Hamas's perspective, it is negotiating with the Palestinian National Liberation Movement. If the talks are successful, Hamas may join the Palestinian government, and the conflict between Kazakhstan and Israel may turn into a conflict between Palestine and Israel. This will make it more difficult for Israel to accept and even less likely to agree to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The dawn of peace in the Middle East is still far away.

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