Voting for Palestine's permanent membership in UN today

New York: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will vote today (April 18) on the request to grant full statehood to Palestine.

According to the news agency, the 15-member Security Council will vote today at 3:00pm, in which the 193-member United Nations General Assembly has recommended that the State of Palestine be admitted to the United Nations.

A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor to pass and no vetoes by the US, UK, France, Russia or China.

Diplomats believe the move could win the support of 13 council members, which would mean the US would have to use its veto power.

Council member Malik Algeria had requested that it be voted on Thursday afternoon on the sidelines of a Security Council meeting on the Middle East, which will be attended by several ministers.

In this regard, the United States says that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state should not take place in the United Nations, but through direct negotiations between the parties.

It is pertinent to note that the Palestinian Authority has the status of a non-member observer in the United Nations since 2012, but it has not been granted membership. 140 of the 193-member states of the Security Council have recognized Palestine.

However, an application to become a full member of the United Nations requires approval by at least two-thirds of the General Assembly after approval by the Security Council.