Palestine’s Application for UN Membership

Palestine’s Application for UN Membership

The official application submitted by Palestine for UN membership is now available here, UN Doc. S/2011/592 (h/t Diane Marie Amann). It is of interest not the least because it has been carefully drafted and with the benefit of substantial legal advice. Note, first, how Mahmoud Abbas is not titled President of the Palestinian National Authority, but as President of the State of Palestine (he was appointed as such some years ago by the PLO). Note also how for good reason the letter does not say when exactly Palestine became a state, nor does it declare Palestine’s independence anew; rather, it refers to the 15 November 1988 DoI.