Palestine Renews Request for Full UN Membership

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Palestine has renewed a request to become a full member of the United Nations, according to a report.

The permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, has renewed the request, Anadolu news agency reported.

Mansour said during a Security Council meeting held Tuesday that "eight years ago, the General Assembly adopted a historic resolution granting Palestine the status of an observer state in the United Nations, and since then Palestine has demonstrated its ability to be an active and powerful party in the international community.

"We have every right to be a full member of the United Nations, and there is no justification for delaying considering this matter," Mansour said, adding that "the Palestinians' right to self-determination and territorial integrity is enshrined in the United Nations.

"Security Council Resolution 2334 is a clear path to ending the [Israeli] occupation, and therefore the responsibility rests with the Security Council to ensure that we follow this path," he said

On November 29, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly issued a resolution granting Palestine non-member observer state status. However, accession to the United Nations requires the approval of the UN Security Council.

Source: Middle East Monitor