The United States has rejected a United Nations Security Council resolution that aimed to grant Palestine full UN membership, effectively halting the recognition of a Palestinian state.
What Happened: A draft resolution recommending the “State of Palestine be admitted to membership” of the UN was vetoed by the U.S. in the Security Council on Thursday, Reuters reported. The U.K. and Switzerland abstained from the vote, while the other 12 council members voted in favor.
Robert Wood, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN, explained that the veto “does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood,” but rather emphasizes the belief that statehood should be the result of direct negotiations between the parties involved.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized the U.S. veto as “unfair, unethical, and unjustified.”
Riyad Mansour, Palestinian U.N. Ambassador, stated that the failed resolution would not deter their pursuit of statehood.
Why It Matters: This bid for full UN membership comes amid a war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and as Israel expands settlements in the occupied West Bank, actions deemed illegal by the UN.
The Palestinians currently have a non-member observer state status, a de facto recognition of statehood granted by the UN General Assembly in 2012. The UN recently appealed for $2.8 billion in aid to support Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, where a severe crisis is unfolding.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, commended the US for its veto. However, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan cautioned that the vote in favor of the resolution by 12 council members could “embolden Palestinian rejectionism” and make peace more challenging to achieve. This comes after U.S. President Joe Biden criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s approach to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
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