US vetoes Palestinian request for full statehood at United Nations

The United States, by casting a veto in the United Nations Security Council on Thursday (April 18), blocked a resolution that recommended recognition of a Palestinian state by providing it full membership in the world body.

The US vetoed a draft resolution which proposed to the 193-member UN General Assembly that "the State of Palestine be admitted to membership" of the UN.

Twelve member countries of the UN Security Council voted in favour of the resolution. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstained. 

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Speaking in the council, Deputy US Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood said, "The United States continues to strongly support a two-state solution. This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgement that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties." 

Palestine criticises US veto, Israel stands in support

Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, in a statement, slammed the US veto, stating that it was “unfair, immoral, and unjustified, and defies the will of the international community, which strongly supports the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.”

Meanwhile, speaking in the council after the voting, Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour, said, "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."

However, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz was full of praise for the US and appreciated the country's decision to veto what he said was a “shameful proposal".

“The proposal to recognise a Palestinian state, more than 6 months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and after the sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists was a reward for terrorism”, wrote Katz, on X.

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Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, while addressing the 12 countries who voted in favour of the resolution, said, "It's very sad because your vote will only embolden Palestinian rejectionism even more and make peace almost impossible." 

The Palestinian bid for full membership of the world body came six months after the war started between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Currently, the Palestinians are a non-member observer state after they were granted a de facto recognition of statehood by the UN General Assembly in 2012.

The Security Council and two-thirds of the General Assembly need to approve their application for a full UN membership so that Palestine can achieve complete statehood. 

(With inputs from agencies)