The US Has Blocked A Draft Resolution To Allow Palestine To Become A Permanent UN Member
Palestine was granted the status of a non-member observer state by the UN General Assembly in 2012, which is a de facto recognition of statehood.
The United States has vetoed a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council that would have granted Palestine the opportunity to become a permanent member state of the United Nations.
Palestine has been seeking full UN membership since 2011, but the US has consistently opposed such efforts.
Palestine was granted the status of a non-member observer state by the UN General Assembly in 2012, which is a de facto recognition of statehood.
However, if Palestine wants to become a full UN member, it needs to apply for approval from the Security Council, and the application needs to be passed by at least two-thirds of the General Assembly.
The latest draft resolution, which was backed by 140 countries recognizing Palestine as an independent state, recommended to the 193-member UN General Assembly that “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership” meaning to become a full member.
However, the US vetoed the resolution on Thursday March 18, saying Palestinian membership needs to be the outcome of negotiations between Israel and Palestine, making it the only member of the 15-member council to vote against the resolution.
12 members including Russia, China, France, and Japan, voted in favor, while the UK and Switzerland abstained.
“The fact that this resolution did not pass will not break our will and it will not defeat our determination. We will not stop in our effort,” the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said after the vote.
He also highlighted the plight of the Palestinian people and their desire for a normal life, moving the president of the UN Security Council to tears.
“Palestinian people, wherever they are, want to live and cling to life, like all other nations on earth... Palestinian people will not disappear or be buried. We were never expendable,” he said.
The US Deputy UN Ambassador Robert Wood said that the vote “does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood”, adding that the US “strongly supports” a two-state solution.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, meanwhile, criticized the Security Council for reviewing the matter, calling it “immoral”.
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