PALESTINE’S FULL MEMBERSHIP IN THE UNITED NATIONS (UN): A SIYĀSAH AL-KHĀRIJIYYAH PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This article examines the issue of Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations (UN) from the perspective of siyāsah al-khārijiyyah (Islamic foreign policy). The main problem addressed is why Palestine has not attained full UN membership despite fulfilling the criteria of statehood and receiving broad international recognition. The study discusses Palestine’s legal status under international law, the political dynamics within the UN structure, and the relevance of Islamic principles of foreign relations in assessing justice, legitimacy, and state recognition. This research aims to offer an alternative normative framework to conventional analyses that predominantly rely on legal positivism and global political approaches. The research employs a library-based method with a qualitative normative-sharīʿah approach, analyzing primary Islamic legal sources, UN Charter provisions, UN resolutions, international legal documents, and academic literature on the Israel–Palestine conflict. Data are examined through systematic and objective content analysis. The findings indicate that Palestine’s failure to achieve full UN membership is not due to its inability to meet international legal requirements, but rather to the dominance of political interests within the UN Security Council, particularly the use of veto power by permanent members. From the perspective of siyāsah al-khārijiyyah, Palestine’s efforts represent a legitimate struggle to uphold justice, sovereignty, and public welfare (maṣlaḥah), while the political obstacles it faces reveal a gap between the normative ideals of international law and the realities of global political practice.