By Kasper Sturtz

The 2024 AMUN United Nations Security Council has many pressing issues to cover this year. The first, and perhaps one of the most pressing, is the conflict between Israel and Palestine. In particular, the Security Council is discussing accepting Palestine into the United Nations (UN) as a full-fledged Member State. Several Member States appear to support this proposal. One of the most vocal proponents of Palestine receiving membership is Algeria, who has advocated for the membership of Palestine “for decades,” according to Representative Julia Assis Azevedo of Algeria. During the first session last night, Representative Azevedo stated on the issue, “We know what Israel wants. They want Palestine to not exist.”

Additionally, while they have remained more quiet on the issue during the session, Malta has also been pushing for UN membership for Palestine, with Representative Michael Jouanneau of Malta stating that they “condemn Israel” and “support a two-state solution.” Like Algeria, Malta has also been pushing for Palestine’s UN membership for a while now. Speaking from experience, having previously attempted to pass this motion, Representative Jouanneau also stated that they believe the best way forward on this issue is to get the United States to abstain on the vote for Palestinian membership, as the United States has been the greatest obstacle in this endeavor, in Malta’s view.

However, other members of the Security Council such as Switzerland, China and France seem more apprehensive about accepting Palestine. At least, not without also consulting Israel. Points of concern range from fears of terrorism from Palestine to a desire to be fair toward Israel. During the previously mentioned meeting, Representative Mel Pardock of the United States, when asked for their opinions on the issue, stated, “We’re a little iffy, not gonna lie.” Though, they went on to indicate that they are “open to hearing the thoughts” of their fellow Member States.