Egypt, Bahrain call for Gaza cease-fire, full UN membership for Palestine

Egypt and Bahrain have called for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which has been witnessing an Israeli war for over six months, and for Palestine to be accepted as a full member of the UN.

This came during a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, according to the Bahrain News Agency.

The two emphasized the "need to de-escalate the situation in the region and adopt tangible political, diplomatic solutions to meet the aspirations of the region's peoples for more security, stability and prosperity," it said.

"They discussed several issues of high priority, including the importance of enhancing joint Arab action, implementing Gaza ceasefire resolutions, delivering humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and launching a political process that would lead to lasting peace in the region based on the two-state solution and accepting Palestine's UN full membership," the news agency said.


The Security Council will vote Friday on a resolution regarding Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations, instead of the status of non-member observer state.

The resolution requires nine votes in favor to pass with a condition that none of the five permanent members-the U.S., the UK, France, Russia and China-votes against.

The Palestinians are currently a non-member observer state, a de facto recognition of statehood that was granted by the 193-member UN General Assembly in 2012.