ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The D-8 group of developing nations called on Saturday for the U.S. to lift its veto on the full membership of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state in the United Nations.
The Palestinians are currently a non-member observer state, a de facto recognition of statehood that was granted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012.
In a declaration after a meeting in Istanbul of its council of ministers, G-8 members Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey also demanded all countries stop supplying weapons and ammunition to Israel.
The U.N. General Assembly last month backed a Palestinian bid to become a full U.N. member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the U.N. Security Council “reconsider the matter favorably”.
The Palestinian push for full U.N. membership comes several months into a war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and as Israel is expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the U.N. considers to be illegal.
As the Palestinian death toll in Gaza has exceeded 36,000 and a humanitarian crisis has engulfed the enclave, human rights groups and other critics have faulted the U.S. for providing weapons to Israel and largely defending Israel’s conduct.
On Saturday, Israeli military said they rescued alive four hostages who were seized by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack in which Israeli said 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted.
A Palestinian health official said on Saturday that at least 50 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Nuseirat and other areas of central Gaza.
(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Alexander Smith)
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