India backs Palestine’s bid for full UN membership

Subject: IR

Section: Int Org

Context:

A resolution was passed in the United Nations with an overwhelming majority supporting full membership of Palestine and pressing the Security Council to give “favourable consideration” to the bid.

Details of the resolution:

Resolution: ‘Admission of new Members to the United Nations’, in support of the State of Palestine’s full membership in the UN.
Resolution introduced by: the UAE, current chair of Arab League.
- 143 votes in favour, including by India.
- 25 countries abstained,
- 9 nations, including Israel, the United States, Czechia, Hungary, Argentina, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Papua New Guinea, voted against the text.
The resolution determined that “the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations” in accordance with Article 4 of the Charter of the U.N. and “should therefore be admitted to membership in the United Nations”.
It recommended that the Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably, in the light of this determination”.

India- Palestine relations:

India was the first non-Arab country to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole representative of the Palestinian people in 1974 and recognized the State of Palestine in 1988.
India opened its Representative Office to the Palestine Authority in Gaza in 1996, relocating it to Ramallah in 2003.

How does a country become a Member of the United Nations?

Membership in the Organization, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, “is open to all peace-loving States that accept the obligations contained in the United Nations Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able to carry out these obligations”.
States are admitted to membership in the United Nations by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
The procedure is briefly as follows:
- The State submits an application to the Secretary-General and a letter formally stating that it accepts the obligations under the Charter.
- The Security Council considers the application. Any recommendation for admission must receive the affirmative votes of 9 of the 15 members of the Council, provided that none of its five permanent members — China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America — have voted against the application.
- If the Council recommends admission, the recommendation is presented to the General Assembly for consideration. A two-thirds majority vote is necessary in the Assembly for admission of a new State.
- Membership becomes effective the date the resolution for admission is adopted.

Permanent Obsever status to the UN:

Non-Member States of the United Nations, which are members of one or more specialized agencies, can apply for the status of Permanent Observer.
The status of a Permanent Observer is based purely on practice, and there are no provisions for it in the United Nations Charter.
The practice dates from 1946, when the Secretary-General accepted the designation of the Swiss Government as a Permanent Observer to the United Nations.
- Observers were subsequently put forward by certain States that later became United Nations Members, including Austria, Finland, Italy, and Japan. Switzerland became a UN Member on 10 September 2002.
Permanent Observers have free access to most meetings and relevant documentation.
Many regional and international organizations are also observers in the work and annual sessions of the General Assembly.

Additional Rights and Privileges of Palestine as an observer state:

As of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2024, Palestine will receive additional rights and privileges, despite being an observer state.
These rights include seating among member states in alphabetical order, making statements on behalf of groups, eligibility for election as officers in the General Assembly and its Main Committees, and full participation in UN conferences and international meetings under the General Assembly auspices.
However, Palestine, as an observer state, does not have voting rights in the General Assembly or the ability to put forward its candidature for UN organs.

Arab League:

A regional multi-national organization of Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
Established in 1945, the League is headquartered in Cairo.
Mission is to promote trade and economic growth as well as sovereignty and political stability in the region.
Founding members: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt and Iraq.
22 member states and four observer nations.
- Members: Algeria, Jordan, Oman, Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Tunisia (1958), Comoros, Lebanon, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Djibouti, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Mauritania, Somalia, Iraq, Morocco, Sudan.
Members of the Arab League adhere to the charter, which is an agreement of 20 articles and three annexes.