UNSC committee to submit full report on PA statehood bid

Draft report on Palestinian Authority's request for full membership to UN Security Council expected to be approved by UN subcommittee.

By REUTERS, TOVAH LAZAROFF
United Nations Security Council 311 (R) (photo credit: ERIC THAYER / Reuters)
United Nations Security Council 311 (R)
(photo credit: ERIC THAYER / Reuters)
A UN Security Council subcommittee was expected on Friday to submit a full report on the Palestinian statehood request for full membership to the UN Security Council.
The UNSC was expected to approve the report which has been circulating in draft form.RELATED:'France, Britain expected to abstain from PA UNSC vote''We'll change face of Mideast if settlements continue'
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Wednesday that Britain would abstain in any vote on full Palestinian membership of the UN.Since the Palestinians need the support of nine Security Council members for their request to be approved, an abstention is the equivalent of a vote against the Palestinian bid.
The UK is one of 15 nations on the Security Council that is debating whether or not to grant a Palestinian state full membership.
Israel assumes that Germany, Portugal and Colombia have told the Security Council that they will oppose the membership application, mostly likely in the form of an abstention.
The US plans to oppose the measure.
Brazil, India, Lebanon, South Africa, Russia and China are expected to support the Palestinians. The position of Nigeria, Gabon, Bosnia and Herzegovina are unclear.
Should all nine of those countries support the Palestinians, the US – one of five Security Council members with veto power – has promised to use that veto to squash the measure.
But Palestinians have pressed forward, despite the US-veto threat, in the hope that a strong show of support would stand as one more sign that they had the backing of the international community for unilateral recognition of statehood without a treaty with Israel, even if they failed to attain UN membership.
Jpost.com staff contributed to this report.