UN: Security Council Urged to Reconsider Palestinian Membership

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Facts

• The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution on Friday calling on the Security Council to reconsider Palestine as a UN member state 'favorably,' stressing that “the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations.”¹
• In response, Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan shredded a copy of the UN charter to illustrate what he said was the General Assembly's disregard for the document, saying that the UN wanted to 'advance the establishment of a Palestinian terror state led by the Hitler of our time.'²
• The US, Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Papua New Guinea voted against the resolution. The Palestinian Authority, which partially controls the West Bank, has been a UN non-member observer state since 2012.³
• Meanwhile, Israel's security cabinet reportedly voted unanimously to expand the military's 'area of ​​operation' in Rafah, where Israel has already advanced into some eastern neighborhoods. US Pres. Joe Biden said this week that the US would not supply Israel with offensive weapons for an advance into Rafah.⁴
• Axios reported that two officials had said that the expansion would be 'measured' so that it did not cross the US' red lines. However, another source told Axios that the expansion includes actions that could be interpreted as oversteps.⁴
• Meanwhile, both the Rafah and Kerem Shalom Crossing into Gaza remained shut as of Friday as concerns grow regarding the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave. Rafah was the primary logistical point for aid operations in the strip.⁵

Sources: ¹CNN, ²USA Today, ³NBC, ⁴Axios and ⁵Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Daily Signal. The UNGA has once again rewarded Hamas for the atrocities it committed on Oct. 7. It should be obvious to everyone that Palestine is not a state, and resolutions like this, passed at such a critical time in Israel's existential struggle with terror, only serve to delegitimize Israel's security concerns.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Though the US will almost certainly veto any resolution that would lead to a Palestinian state, it is necessary to demonstrate how isolated Israel has become due to the massacres it has committed in Gaza. The resolution also demonstrates the US' hypocrisy and moral cowardice, as it endlessly shields Israel from accountability while claiming to support human rights.