As a non-member observer, Palestine can speak at UN meetings but can’t vote on resolutions about the situation in Gaza.The 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly are expected to vote on the Israel-Gaza war on Friday, but as an observer rather than a member, Palestine will not have a say.
Jordan, acting on behalf of Arab countries, has proposed a General Assembly resolution calling, among other things, for a humanitarian ceasefire after the smaller more powerful UN Security Council failed to take action,despite the rising death toll from Israel’s continued bombardments.
“I appeal to all of you to vote to stop the killing. Vote for humanitarian aid to reach those whose very survival depends on it. Vote to stop this madness,” Palestine’s UN ambassador Riyad Mansour said in an emotional speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
The Palestinian foreign minister also addressed the UN Security Council at a special session this week, but as a non-member observer state, Palestine is not able to participate in the same way as full UN member states.
As UN members continue to discuss how they will respond to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, here is a quick guide to Palestine’s status at the UN.
In 2012, the majority of the 193 members of the General Assembly voted to grant Palestine non-member observer status. A total of 138 of the UN General Assembly’s 193 members voted yes, while nine voted no and 46 abstained or did not vote.
Unlike the Security Council, which has only 15 members, the UN General Assembly includes all 193 of the UN’s member states.
Votes in the UN General Assembly are also less complicated than in the Security Council, where resolutions have often been blocked by the permanent veto. China, Russia and the United States have all used their veto to block Security Council resolutions on Israel-Gaza in the last two weeks.
But while UN General Assembly members do sometimes take a different approach to Palestine than the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly resolutions are considered less legally binding than Security Council resolutions, especially when it comes to the currently much-contested calls for ceasefires.
As both UN bodies continue to consider their carefully worded resolutions, Mansour reminded UN members to “remember we are meeting here while Palestinians in Gaza are under the bombs”.
