New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): A few days after India reaffirmed its stance on supporting full UN membership for Palestine, Palestinian Ambassador to India, Abdullah M Abu Shawesh, on Wednesday extended support towards India’s permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council, underlining the need for the UN body to have some more “major” countries at the helm.
When asked if Palestine supports India’s candidature as the country seeks a non-permanent seat in the UNSC for 2028-29, and the role it sees New Delhi playing in the council, he told ANI, “India deserves to be a permanent member of the Security Council. Not for just three years.”
He added, “Our position is clear in this regard. I’m pretty sure the vast majority of the country is supporting the renovation or the rehabilitation of the Security Council. Part of this rehabilitation or revisiting the charter of the Security Council and the rules that is guiding it is to have some major countries to be a permanent member. I’m pretty sure India is fully deserved to be a permanent member in the Security Council.”
While speaking to ANI, he also said the principal obstacle to Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations is the United States, arguing that Washington has blocked the process at the UN Security Council despite broad international support.
Abu Shawesh, while speaking to ANI, explained that the process for obtaining full UN membership involves three stages, of which Palestine has completed the first and sees no difficulty with the third.
“To have full recognition as a member state in the United Nations, you need to go through three steps. The first step is to submit the request to the Secretary-General himself, and we already passed this step,” he said.
The second stage, he said, requires the UN Security Council to recommend Palestine’s admission to the UN General Assembly, which would then take the final decision.
“The other step is to go through the Security Council, and the Security Council should give a recommendation to the General Assembly, and in the General Assembly, we will be accepted. So the first and the third steps, we have no problem with them at all,” Abu Shawesh said.
However, he alleged that the process has repeatedly been blocked in the Security Council by the United States.
“The second step, unfortunately, due to our experience, has been blocked by the United States of America itself, and the main barrier to this step is the United States of America, which is fully backing the Israeli occupation,” the Palestinian envoy said.
Earlier on Monday (local time), reaffirming its traditional foreign policy stance, India backed Palestine’s bid for full United Nations membership and reiterated its commitment to a negotiated resolution to the protracted conflict in the region.
At the forum, Ranganathan emphasised that India has been a long-standing partner of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed India’s continued support for a “two-state” solution, as well as Palestine’s membership of the UN.
Highlighting India’s constructive role, the MEA noted that New Delhi has been backing a vision of a “two-state” solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within recognised borders, consistent with international law. (ANI)
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