Palestine to seek full UN membership

state is preparing to seek full U.N. membership and ask member states to endorse its admission, the country’s ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday.

“We will intensify these discussions and we will use a variety of things, including we might have a statement and solicit signatures from member states welcoming and supporting the admission of the State of Palestine to membership before in fact going to the (UN) Security Council and to submit a resolution calling for recommendation to admit the state of Palestine as a member of the UN,” Riyad Mansour told reporters in New York.

His remarks came a day after Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, voted 99-11 to back a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reject any unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood.

“It’s only us, the Palestinian people, who will determine our right to self-determination, including the independence of our state. We will not negotiate that principle with anyone and we will not ask for permission from anyone to do so,” Mansour said.

Palestine will expedite the process in the U.N. General Assembly of asking the international community to take practical measures to force Israel to lift its siege on Gaza, such as asking countries not to send or sell weapons and ammunition to Israel, or asking them not to give visas to settlers, he added.

The State of Palestine was accepted as an observer state of the U.N. General Assembly in 2012, allowing its envoy to participate in debates and U.N. organizations but without a vote.

According to the U.N. Charter, states are admitted to membership in the UN by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.