India Hopes Palestine's Application For UN Membership Will Be Reconsidered (image@ruchirakamboj)

India hope that Palestine”s bid to become a full member of the United Nations (UN) which the US blocked last month will be reconsidered. Ruchira Kamboj, the Permanent Representative to the UN said that while Palestine”s application for the permanent membership was not approved by the Security Council, India hope that it would be considered in due time.

In a draft resolution on granting permanent membership to Palestine in the UN Security Council, US vetoed the move, while 12 other countries voted in favour. Switzerland and UK abstained from voting on the resolution. To approve a draft resolution, at least nine members should vote in favour and none from the five permanent countries including China, Russia, France, US, and UK should veto the resolution.

Palestine is currently the “non-member observer state” at UN. The status was granted by the General Assembly in 2012, and it allows Palestine to participate in proceedings of the world. However, it does not have power to vote on resolutions. The only other non-member Observer state at the UN is Holy See, which represents Vatican.

While addressing a General Assembly meeting on Wednesday, Kamboj remarked that India has repeatedly emphasised that only a two-state solution achieved through a direct and meaningful negotiations between Israel and Palestine will ensure peace in the region. She said, “I would like to state here at the very outset that in keeping with India”s long-standing position, we hope that this would be reconsidered in due course and that Palestine’s endeavour to become a member of the United Nations will get endorsed”.

India was the first non-Arab nation to identify Palestinian Liberation Organization as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people back in 1947. India was among the first countries to identify the State of Palestine in 1988. In 1996, New Delhi opened a Representative Office for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.