Malta put forward Palestine quest for UN membership to specialized committee

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 9th April. UN Security Council on Monday referred the application of the Observer State of Palestine for full UN membership to the specialized committee set up to vet new members.

The proposal for the referral made by Ambassador Vanessa Frazier of Malta, Security Council President for April, received no objections from the body’s 15 members.

Ms. Frazier said “Unless I hear a proposal to the contrary, I shall refer to the Committee of Admission of New Members, the request that renewed consideration be given to the application of the observer State of Palestine, during the month of April 2024,” referred to Rule 59 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedures on new members.

She proposed that the admissions committee, a subsidiary organ of the Security Council, would meet at 3 PM the same day to consider the application.

The Committee meetings are held behind closed doors, unless it decides otherwise.

Council met privately to discuss the request submitted by Palestine that its earlier request for membership made on 23 September 2011 be reconsidered.

Palestine is a non-member observer State of the UN, the same status as held by the Holy See.

Any application for UN membership is considered by the Security Council, which then forwards it on to the 193-member General Assembly to adopt a resolution for the admission of a Member State.

As per its rules of procedure, the Security Council shall decide whether in its Judgement the applicant is committed to peace and able and willing to carry out the obligations contained in the UN Charter and, accordingly, whether to recommend the applicant State for membership.

If the Security Council presents a recommendation, it goes forward to the General Assembly along with a complete record of the deliberations.

If the Security Council does not recommend the applicant State for membership or postpones the consideration of the application, it submits a special report plus record of discussions, to the General Assembly.

UN Security Council convened a meeting to consider a Palestinian request for United Nations membership as humanitarians expressed deep concerns about Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah and the desperate lack of aid reach Gaza.

The war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel began 6 months ago which led after brutal terror attacks in southern Israel towns prompted an unprecedented Israeli military response, former residents of Khan Younis just north of Rafah are returning to the shattered city a move that aid teams cautioned against, given the absence of stockpiled supplies.

Jamie Goldslock said “The planning is underway for a Rafah incursion, which could move up to 800,000 people,” the current Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“We really struggle to pre-position enough material, non-food items, shelter, material and water…we really don’t have the capacity and resources and ability right now. And we’re really struggling to get prepared.”

He reiterated that 500 trucks a day need to enter Gaza, where food insecurity experts warned that famine could happen “anytime”.

To boost the level of humanitarian assistance reaching the enclave, the UN has supported calls for the Israeli port of Ashdod to reopen just north of Gaza and for more relief to be given access via Jordan.

Security Council was set to meet to discuss the Palestinian membership request in closed consultations initially and then in an open format.

The body will consider the Palestinians’ 2011 application after a written request last week from the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Minister and Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Riyad Mansour.

International Court of Justice on Monday began proceedings brought by Nicaragua to halt Germany’s military aid to Israel.

Carlos José Argüello Gómez alleged that Germany was “failing to honor its own obligation to prevent genocide or to ensure respect of international humanitarian law”.

The case follows South Africa’s petition to the ICJ in December to order Israel as a signatory of the Genocide Convention to protect Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 33,000 mainly women and children have been reported killed since 7 October.

ICJ issued new “provisional measures” to Israel as the humanitarian situation in bombarded and besieged Gaza continued to worsen.

In other developments, negotiators seeking a ceasefire in Gaza reportedly left Cairo on Monday after weekend negotiations ended. Representatives included individuals from Israel and Hamas, who arrived in the Egyptian capital on Sunday to resume talks.

WHO said that UN mission reached Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza City after a weeks-long Israeli offensive to root out Palestinian fighters revealed “an empty shell” and shallow graves.

“The majority of equipment is unusable or reduced to ashes,” including the hospital’s emergency department, surgical and maternity ward, it added.