Question 1

What is the current status of a Palestinian state at the United Nations?

Accepted Answer

The Palestinian Authority, which is based in Ramallah and controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, made a bid for full U.N. membership in September 2011, but the U.N. Security Council never voted on it. At the time, the United States said it would veto a resolution recognizing Palestinian statehood. In November 2012, the U.N. General Assembly voted to recognize Palestine as a nonmember observer state — a status it shares with the Holy See. Observers can participate in U.N. sessions but cannot vote on resolutions. The decision — which was celebrated across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and condemned by the United States and Israel — also allowed Palestinians to join other international organizations, including the United Nations’ top court. The International Court of Justice is currently considering the legality of Israel’s “occupation, settlement and annexation” of Palestinian territory, as well as a separate case alleging that Israel is violating the Genocide Convention in its war against Hamas in Gaza — which Israel and the United States deny. On April 2, the Palestinian Authority formally asked the U.N. Security Council to reopen its 2011 application. The council on Monday agreed to reconsider the bid, with none of its 15 members objecting. The matter was referred to the committee charged with determining whether the proposed state of Palestine qualifies for full membership. If the committee agrees, the application goes back to the U.N. Security Council, where it requires nine votes, with no veto from any of the five permanent members — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. If it passes there, it moves to the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, where it needs a two-thirds majority.

Question 2

How likely is it that the Palestinians will be granted full U.N. membership?

Accepted Answer

The United States, Britain and other Group of Seven countries have not recognized a Palestinian state — although France and Britain have indicated this year that they are considering it. Gilbert Achcar, a professor of development studies and international relations at SOAS University of London, said the application “is more likely to succeed now than ever before,” as Western governments seek to “dissociate themselves” from the Israeli war in Gaza. “We have thus seen France, followed by the U.K., shifting their position with time, both hinting at a possible support for the [Palestinian Authority’s] application,” Achcar said — leaving the possibility of a U.S. veto as “the only real obstacle remaining.” (Russia and China both recognize the Palestinian state.) Achcar said it is possible Washington might abstain, as it did in March when the United Nations passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. U.S. officials have said there is no change in the country’s long-standing position that membership should come only after a negotiated peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

Question 3

What is the U.S. stance on recognizing a Palestinian state?

Accepted Answer

The United States has long advocated for a two-state solution — one for Israelis and one for Palestinians — and has said that the issue of Palestinian statehood should be settled through direct negotiations. The U.S.-led peace process has been dormant for years, but Washington is now working with Arab nations on a postwar plan for Gaza that would include a timeline for establishing a Palestinian state, The Washington Post has reported. But there are significant obstacles to that plan — above all, Israel’s vehement opposition to the idea. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that recognizing Palestinian statehood would be a “huge reward” for Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack. Key partners in Netanyahu’s coalition — including Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister — are vocal opponents of a Palestinian state. Even Netanyahu’s political rivals have refrained from publicly discussing the two-state solution since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Donald Rothwell, an expert in international law at the Australian National University, said that while the U.S. is “ultimately supportive” of a two-state solution, endorsing Palestinian membership would “rapidly accelerate that process” before any peace agreement is in place. “The Biden administration would be very cautious about supporting Palestinian membership of the United Nations given how politically contentious the issue is during a presidential election year,” he said.

Question 4

Which countries recognize an independent state of Palestine?

Accepted Answer

Since 1988, 140 of the 193 United Nations member states have recognized Palestinian statehood, according to a letter supporting the Palestinian bid that was sent to the U.N. Security Council president last week by the heads of the Arab Group at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement. The leaders of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia last month said in a joint statement that they would work toward recognition of a Palestinian state when “the circumstances are right.” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Tuesday that “the international community is now considering the question of Palestinian statehood as a way of building momentum toward a two-state solution.” Rothwell said he doubted that Australia would recognize a Palestinian state “unilaterally, but rather would be one of a number of like-minded states who would do so at the same time.” Achcar said turning from an observer to a full U.N. member would only be a “symbolic victory” for the Palestinian Authority, while Israel maintains control over the West Bank, Gaza and annexed East Jerusalem. Karen DeYoung and Niha Masih contributed to this report.

What to know about the Palestinian bid to become a full U.N. member