New York, 12 April 2024 (dpa/MIA) - A UN Security Council committee has been unable to agree on a joint response to a renewed application for full membership of the United Nations for a state of Palestine.

Two thirds of the members were in favour of the application, while five objected, said Malta's UN Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, who currently chairs the relevant committee, after a meeting in New York on Thursday.

Frazier said she would circulate a report on the matter among the members of the Security Council as soon as possible.

It is considered unlikely that the committee will then recommend a vote on the motion in the Security Council. Nevertheless, any member state of the body could introduce a corresponding resolution at any time.

Algeria is planning to do so in the coming week, according to diplomatic circles. However, such a resolution would in all likelihood fail because the US, Israel's closest ally on the Security Council, would likely exercise its veto power.

In order to be successful, at least nine of the 15 Security Council members would have to vote in favour and the motion would need not be vetoed by any of the permanent Security Council members - China, France, Russia, Britain and the US.

If successful, the motion would then be referred to the UN General Assembly for a vote, where a two-thirds majority would be required to pass.

Israel has consistently vehemently opposed the admission of Palestine. Additionally, the US and others have until now demanded the Palestinians make peace with Israel before they can be granted UN membership.

In November 2011, the application for full UN membership failed at the Security Council. A year later, the General Assembly, where the US doesn't have veto power, granted the Palestinians observer status despite opposition from Washington.

Last week, Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour wrote to UN Secretary-General António Guterres asking for the 2011 application to be resubmitted to the UN Security Council in April.

The Security Council then referred the request to the committee for consideration at the beginning of the week. The formal step of re-examining the application from 2011 was considered a small victory for the Palestinians.

Of the 193 UN member states, 139 have so far recognized Palestine as an independent state.

Photo: MIA Archive