Saturday, April 20, 2024

Palestine ambassador 'appreciates' Malta's efforts at UN

US veto “unethical, unfair and unjust", ambassador says
Palestine's ambassador to Malta Fadi Hanania said he appreciated Malta putting the Palestinian question on the agenda at the UN. 

Palestine’s ambassador to Malta has said he appreciates the country putting Palestine on the agenda at the United Nations, despite the United States vetoing its request to become a member.

On Thursday, the US shot down a draft resolution recommending full Palestinian membership in a Malta-chaired Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York.

The vote was preceded by a tense debate presided over by Malta, in which Israel’s ambassador warned that granting the Palestinians UN membership would be a reward to terrorists and render the UN “a haven for dictatorships and terrorists”.

The Palestinian ambassador said it would be a major step towards peace and justice.

Approval at the Security Council would have been the first of two steps needed for Palestine to become a full UN member. Aside from Security Council approval, applicants for full membership must also obtain a two-thirds majority of votes at the UN General Assembly.

Palestine is currently classified as a non-member observer state at the UN. It first sought to be recognised as a full UN member in 2011.

Reacting to Thursday’s vote, Palestine’s ambassador to Malta Fadi Hanania said his people were “devastated” by the move but thanked Malta for its efforts at the UN.

“Almost all the Security Council voted in favour of the resolution the US vetoed... for us it was a complete failure of the international community,” he said, calling the US veto “unethical, unfair and unjust.”

Hanania said he appreciated Malta's efforts to put the Palestinian membership issue on the Security Council agenda.

“Historically, Malta has stood for justice in the Middle East,” he said, noting Malta had already signified its support for Palestine’s right to statehood.

Hanania stressed that despite the vote, the Palestinians would continue to work towards becoming a recognised member of the international community.

"Although the vote failed, it’s not the end of the road; it keeps us motivated to keep pushing forward.”

The ambassador said the US veto conflicted with its claims that it supports a two-state solution – something the superpower said on Thursday it still supported but could only be possible through direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.

“Our people are fed up with international organisations... they were hoping for this and are devastated. Those in Gaza and the West Bank feel like abandoning hope," Hanania said.


OIC expresses regret over UN Security Council failure to recognise Palestine's full membership

APRIL 19, 2024 | 

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation expressed deep regret at the failure of the United Nations Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities towards granting full membership to the State of Palestine in the United Nations, at a time when the Palestinian people are facing the harshest forms of aggression, persecution, and genocide.

In a statement, the organization affirmed that the use of the United States' veto right contravenes the provisions of the United Nations Charter, which allows membership for all states accepting the obligations therein, and continues to hinder the Palestinian people from obtaining their legitimate rights, thus perpetuating the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people over the past 75 years.

The organization also affirmed Palestine's legitimate right to embody its political and legal status within the United Nations, akin to other countries around the world, considering this as an overdue entitlement for decades based on the political, legal, historical, and natural rights of the Palestinian people in their land, as confirmed by relevant United Nations resolutions. It emphasized that recognizing the State of Palestine contributes to achieving peace and stability and paves the way for the implementation of a two-state solution.

The organization expressed appreciation for the positions of countries that supported the resolution project in the United Nations Security Council regarding Palestine's membership in the United Nations, reflecting their stance in favor of rights, justice, freedom, and peace, and their rejection of Israeli colonial occupation policies. It called on countries that either rejected or abstained from voting on the resolution to review and rectify their positions in line with their obligations under international law, the United Nations Charter, and relevant resolutions.

No comments:

Post a Comment