Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune yesterday called for a special session of the UN Assembly to vote on granting Palestine full membership to the organization.

In a speech, Tebboune told the 78th session of the UN General Assembly that Algeria renews its demand for holding an extraordinary General Assembly meeting to grant Palestine full membership into the UN.

He added that Algeria supports the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative to end the occupation of Palestinian territories, which is “a key factor in regional instability.”

Tebboune also called on the Security Council to issue a resolution protecting the two-state solution and ending the Israeli occupation.

Presently, Palestine’s status at the UN is that of a “non-member observer state,” which was upgraded from an “observer entity” in 2012.

However, for Palestine to achieve full UN membership, it needs approval from the UN Security Council, followed by a vote in the UN General Assembly.

Palestine applied for full UN membership in 2011 but failed to get the necessary support in the UN Security Council, which is dominated by the US-led occident states, Israel's key backers. 

The president of Algeria renewed the demand for the “establishment of a new world order based on equality,” adding: “Reforms are also needed in the UN Security Council, which has been weak in fulfilling its duty to maintain international peace and security and in preventing the use of force.”