Tomorrow, Friday, the United Nations General Assembly will vote on a new draft resolution demanding recognition of Palestine as a full-fledged state, on par with the rest of the countries of the world.

The draft resolution will be voted on in the 193-member United Nations General Assembly, tomorrow at 10 a.m. New York time, and will serve as a global survey of the extent of support for Palestine’s application for full membership in the international organization.

Assistant Secretary of State for the United Nations and its specialized organizations, Omar Awadallah, told “Wafa” that Palestine meets the conditions for accepting membership of states stipulated in Article (4) of the United Nations Charter.

He added that passing the resolution requires a vote of two-thirds of the members of the United Nations General Assembly, and it would be tantamount to declaring Palestine’s eligibility to be a full member state, which would strengthen its legal status in the United Nations and its affiliated organizations and bodies.

Awadallah stated that the General Assembly’s recognition of Palestine as a full member state will enable it to sit among the member states according to the alphabet. It will also have the right to speak about any topic on the United Nations agenda, speak on behalf of any international groups, and submit draft resolutions in their name.

He stressed that Palestine has the right to obtain full membership and self-determination, noting that 144 countries recognize it, and that it carries out all its duties and responsibilities in the institutions affiliated with the United Nations, and has fulfilled all the obligations required of it to obtain full membership.

Awadallah stressed the importance of the upcoming resolution in the United Nations General Assembly, in mobilizing the international community and urging it to move forward in implementing the two-state solution, by immediately ending the Israeli occupation based on the rules of international law and agreed terms of reference. It will also encourage countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine. Now to do so, including countries that have declared their willingness to recognize.

Immediately after the vote, the Assembly will ask the Security Council to reconsider and make a recommendation that is consistent with the expected announcement, which was previously thwarted by the American “veto.”

At the beginning of this April, Palestine submitted a request to the Security Council to reconsider the application it submitted in 2011 to obtain full membership in the United Nations.

On April 18, the United States of America used its veto to prevent the State of Palestine from obtaining full membership.

At that time, the draft resolution submitted by Algeria, which “recommends the General Assembly to accept the State of Palestine as a member of the United Nations,” was supported by 12 members (out of 15 in the Security Council), opposed by the United States, and Britain and Switzerland abstained from voting.

According to the United Nations Charter, a state is admitted to the United Nations by a decision issued by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority, but only after a positive recommendation to this effect by 9 members of the Security Council, out of 15 members, provided that none of the five permanent members vote (Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America) against the request.

Palestine currently has observer state status, according to a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012.

During the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that a number of European Union members are expected to recognize the Palestinian state by the end of this May.

Borrell did not mention the names of these countries, but they are believed to be Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia, as these countries announced last March that they intend to jointly recognize the Palestinian state.

Since March 5, four countries have officially recognized the State of Palestine: Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas.