The UN Security Council has referred the application for full membership of the United Nations for a state of Palestine to a competent body for examination.
There were no objections to this on Monday in the most powerful UN body in New York. The committee is to deal with the application immediately.
The rather formal step of re-examining the application from 2011 is at least considered a stage victory for the Palestinians. However, it is considered rather unlikely that the United States - Israel's closest ally with veto power in the Security Council - would ultimately approve the application.
Until now, the US and others have wanted the Palestinians to make peace with Israel before becoming a member of the UN.
Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan spoke out vehemently against Palestinian membership.
Instead of classifying the Islamist Hamas as a terrorist organization in view of the massacre on October 7, the UN would be rewarding them for their genocidal terror, he warned. This will be the most shameful reward for their violent crimes, he continued.
Last week, Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour wrote to UN Secretary-General António Guterres asking for the application to be resubmitted to the UN Security Council. For it to be successful, at least nine of the 15 Security Council members would have to vote in favour after the review, and the permanent Council members China, France, Russia, Britain and the US would not be allowed to veto it.
If successful, the motion would then be referred to the UN General Assembly for a vote, where a two-thirds majority would be required.
In November 2011, the application for full UN membership failed at the Security Council. A year later, the United Nations granted the Palestinians observer status despite opposition from the US.
Of the 193 UN member states, 139 have so far recognized Palestine as an independent state.