Palestinian Authority seeks United Nations membership renewal

The Palestinian Authority has once again asked for membership in the United Nations, as stated in a recent post by the Palestinian permanent observer mission to the UN.

In a post on Tuesday, the mission mentioned that the State of Palestine, following the guidance of the Palestinian leadership, has sent a letter to the Secretary General seeking a review of their membership application.

The post featured a letter signed by UN Ambassador of the Palestinian Territories Riyad Mansour. In the letter, he mentioned an application made in September 2011 for membership status and requested a fresh review this month.

Back in September 2011, the Palestinian Authority's bid for UN recognition as an independent member state was unsuccessful. However, a year later, the UN upgraded their status from "non-member observer entity" to "non-member observer state," a move similar to the Vatican's status.

The Palestinian Authority, controlled by the Fatah political party, used to govern Gaza until 2007 when Hamas won the elections and took over. Since then, Hamas has ruled Gaza while the Palestinian Authority oversees parts of the West Bank under Israeli occupation.

The US supports a reformed Palestinian Authority governing both the West Bank and Gaza in the future independent state. However, Israel opposes the idea of the Palestinian Authority regaining control of Gaza after the current conflict and rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state in the territories.

A new cabinet led by Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Mustafa was officially sworn in on Sunday in Ramallah, amid intense international pressure for the Palestinian Authority to reform, according to Palestinian official news agency WAFA.

During a meeting with the new government, President Abbas expressed the political goal of achieving freedom, independence, and liberation from the occupation. He also mentioned working with concerned Arab and international parties to obtain full membership in the United Nations, as reported by WAFA.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Reporting contributed by CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman and Abeer Salman.

Editor's P/S:

The Palestinian Authority's renewed bid for UN membership highlights the ongoing struggle for recognition of their statehood. Despite previous setbacks, the Palestinians remain determined to secure their place among the international community. The support of the US for a reformed Palestinian Authority governing both the West Bank and Gaza is a significant step, but Israel's opposition to a Palestinian state in the territories poses a major obstacle.

The formation of a new cabinet led by Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Mustafa underscores the Palestinian Authority's commitment to reform and its efforts to achieve full membership in the United Nations. The international community's pressure for reform and the Palestinian leadership's expressed political goal of liberation from Israeli occupation suggest that this issue will remain at the forefront of the region's agenda.