Palestine says full UN membership to 'alleviate historical injustices'

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Palestine's representative at the UN Security Council on Thursday said granting Palestine a full membership in the UN "would alleviate some of the historical injustices endured by the Palestinian people," state news agency Wafa reported.

Ziad Abu Amr, UN special representative of the observer state of Palestine, made his statement ahead of voting on the Palestine membership bid at the Security Council.

Abu Amr said granting Palestine the full membership "would open broad prospects for achieving genuine peace and safeguarding the two-state solution."

He stressed that "Palestinians, who faced the Nakba in 1948 and Israeli occupation in 1967, continue to aspire to exercise their right to self-determination and live freely, securely, and peacefully in an independent state, like all other peoples of the world."

"The time has come for the Security Council to bear its historical responsibility by justly supporting the Palestinian people through adopting a resolution to accept Palestine as a full UN member." the Palestinian official said.

The Palestinians are currently a non-member observer state, a de facto recognition of statehood that was granted by the 193-member UN General Assembly in 2012.

The Security Council requires nine votes to pass a resolution for the 15-member group with a condition that none of the five permanent members -- the US, UK, France, Russia and China -- votes against it.

The Palestinian application for full UN membership comes amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 33,900 victims since Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which claimed 1,200 lives.