Palestinian Ambassador to India Abdullah M Abu Shawesh 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.
New Delhi’s diplomatic position was conveyed by Sripriya Ranganathan, Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), during a ministerial meeting of the Palestine Donor Group convened in Brussels.
The high-level session brought together delegates from the European Union, its member nations, Palestine, international partners and financial organisations to deliberate on financial backing for the Palestinian Authority and the delivery of humanitarian aid to its citizens.
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.
Demonstrating this enduring commitment, the MEA Secretary detailed India’s robust developmental footprint in the region, highlighting ongoing capacity-building programmes and humanitarian assistance extended to the Palestinian population.
She noted that India’s projects are demand-driven and largely centred on healthcare, education, capacity building and vocational training.
Furthermore, the MEA stated that India is currently engaged in major projects in healthcare, women’s empowerment and institution-building in Palestine.
Expanding this proactive support during the Brussels meeting, the Secretary announced several new projects focused on rehabilitation, healthcare, education and vocational training to further assist the Palestinian people