 After the 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence, the PLO's representation was renamed Palestine.On 7 July 1998, this status was extended to allow participation in General Assembly debates, though not in voting.By September 2012, with their application for full membership stalled due to the inability of Security Council members to 'make a unanimous recommendation', the Palestine Authority had decided to pursue an upgrade in status from "observer entity" to "non-member observer state".