ISTANBUL – The D-8 group of developing nations on June 8 urged the United States to lift its veto on granting Palestine full membership as an independent and sovereign state in the United Nations. Currently, Palestine holds the status of a non-member observer state, a recognition granted by the UN General Assembly in 2012. This status represents a de facto acknowledgment of Palestinian statehood.
In a declaration following a meeting in Istanbul, the D-8 members—Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey—also called for an end to all countries supplying weapons and ammunition to Israel. In May, the UN General Assembly supported a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, recognizing Palestine as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council reconsider the matter favorably.
This push for full UN membership comes amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The conflict has also seen Israel expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the UN considers illegal. With the Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassing 36,000 and a humanitarian crisis escalating, human rights groups and other critics have condemned the US for supplying weapons to Israel and largely defending its actions.
On June 8, the Israeli military reported rescuing four hostages seized by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack, which Israel claims resulted in 1,200 deaths and 250 abductions. A Palestinian health official reported on Saturday that at least 50 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Nuseirat and other areas of central Gaza.