Algeria urges UN to grant Palestine full membership, end Israeli occupation
President Tebboune also sought UN Security Council reforms in order to make the body more effective in promoting global peace and security.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has urged the UN to convene a special session for the purpose of conducting a vote on granting full state membership to Palestine.
Tebboune's Tuesday address touched on regional and global issues, including the Palestinian cause, during his speech at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York City.
He also stressed Algeria's support for the Arab Peace Initiative, advocating for an independent Palestinian state within 1967 borders, and cited Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories as a key factor in regional instability.
Tebboune urged the UN Security Council to pass a resolution for a two-state solution and ending Israeli occupation.
🎙️🇩🇿 Extrait de la Déclaration du président Tebboune sur la #Palestine au Débat Général de la 78ème session de l’Assemblee générale de l’ONU 🇺🇳#UNGA
— DZ Story (@StorytellerDz) September 19, 2023
🇩🇿🇵🇸 « L’ #Algérie connaît le prix de la liberté, c’est pourquoi nous n’abandonnerons jamais les causes justes et nous… pic.twitter.com/G5VsY2yLPd
New world order founded on equality
President Tebboune reiterated his country's call for the establishment of a new world order based on equality,
"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," he said.
He highlighted the "historical injustice" done to Africa and the importance of ending it by granting the continent representation in the UN Security Council.
Tebboune also emphasised Algeria's stance on the crisis in neighbouring Niger, supporting the restoration of constitutional order, a peaceful political resolution and rejecting foreign military intervention.
🔴 JUST IN: President Tebboune 🇩🇿 meets with Palestinian Head of State Mahmoud Abbas 🇵🇸 at his residence in New York on the eve of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly 🇺🇳. #Algeria #Palestine pic.twitter.com/rNO02ZSU4k
— Algerian Spy (@AlgerianSpy) September 18, 2023
Palestine's status at UN
Palestine holds the status of a "non-member observer state" within the 193-member organisation.
In 2012, the UN General Assembly elevated Palestine's status from an "observer entity" to a "non-member observer state."
For Palestine to attain full UN membership, it requires approval from the UN Security Council followed by a vote in the UN General Assembly.
Palestine applied for full UN membership in 2011 but did not garner the necessary support in the UN Security Council.