Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has turned down requests from the US Biden administration to postpone a UN Security Council (UNSC) vote on Palestine's full membership in the UN, as reported by Axios, citing sources.
According to the sources, US officials have been exerting pressure on Abbas and his advisors for the past two weeks to withdraw the UN membership application. The issue has been discussed almost daily between US officials and their Palestinian counterparts, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken directly addressing it in a phone call with Abbas.
A senior official informed Axios that the Biden administration inquired whether Abbas would halt the application if invited to meet with President Biden at the White House, but the Palestinian president declined.
An Israeli official informed Axios that Algeria, China, Guyana, Malta, Mozambique, Russia, Slovenia, and Sierra Leone are expected to support the Palestinian bid, with Britain likely to abstain. The US and Israel are reportedly lobbying France, Switzerland, Ecuador, South Korea, and Japan to vote against or abstain from the Palestinian bid. However, if these efforts fail, the US is expected to veto the resolution, according to sources cited by Axios.
Palestine's current UN status
Currently, Palestine holds permanent observer status at the UN. In 2011, Palestinian authorities applied for full UN membership but later opted to retain permanent observer status temporarily. In April, Palestine requested the Security Council to resume considering its application for full UN membership.
The process for admitting a country to UN membership, as outlined on the UN's website, involves a decision by the General Assembly based on the Security Council's recommendation. To receive a recommendation, the application must garner support from nine out of the fifteen Security Council members, provided none of the permanent members oppose it. Subsequently, the issue is brought before the General Assembly, where the application must secure a two-thirds majority vote.
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Based on materials from TASS