The Palestinian Authority is renewing its bid for United Nations membership, as revealed in an announcement on X by the Palestinian permanent observer mission to the UN on Tuesday.
“Upon the directive of the Palestinian leadership, a letter was dispatched to the Secretary-General today, seeking reevaluation of our application for membership,” the announcement detailed.
The communication, penned by Riyad Mansour, the UN Ambassador for the Palestinian Territories, calls for a reconsideration of their initial membership application from September 2011.
Despite the Palestinian Authority’s unsuccessful attempt to secure UN recognition as an independent state in 2011, it was granted a status upgrade to “non-member observer state” in 2012, aligning it with the Vatican’s status.
Historically, the Palestinian Authority, led by the Fatah party, governed Gaza until 2007. This changed when Hamas, following its victory in the 2006 elections, took control of Gaza, leaving the Palestinian Authority in charge of portions of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The United States supports a unified Palestinian Authority as the governing body of both the West Bank and Gaza, envisioning it as a foundation for a future independent state. However, Israel opposes the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza amid the current conflict and rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state within the territories.
In the face of global calls for its reform, the Palestinian Authority inaugurated a new government under Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Mustafa in Ramallah on Sunday, as reported by the Palestinian official news agency WAFA.
“Our aim is freedom, independence, and liberation from occupation. We are engaging with Arab and international stakeholders to secure full United Nations membership,” stated President Mahmoud Abbas in a conversation with the newly formed government, as per WAFA’s report.