Palestine to appeal for full UN membership - President

CAIRO, Feb 12 (Bernama) - The Palestinian Authority (PA) will appeal to the United Nations in the coming days with a demand for the adoption of resolution that would ensure a two-state solution by granting Palestine full membership in the organisation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday.

"The PA in the coming days will turn to the UN and its bodies, including the Security Council, to demand a resolution in defence of the two-state solution by granting Palestine full membership in the UN," Abbas told the Jerusalem Conference in Cairo, the headquarters of the League of Arab States.

The Palestinian leader added the text of the resolution should emphasise "the cessation of unilateral actions, and settlement activities, above all", reported Sputnik.

"Palestine reserves the right, and will continue to apply to courts and international organisations to protect the legal rights of our people," the president said.

In late December 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to assess the legal consequences of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

Relations between Israel and Palestine have been adversarial since the founding of Israel in 1948. Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition of their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognise Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity, and builds settlements in the occupied areas despite objections from the UN.

--BERNAMA