Condemnations as US blocks Palestine’s full UN membership

The United States has vetoed a widely supported resolution at the UN Security Council (UNSC) that would have paved the way for the state of Palestine to gain full membership at the United Nations.

The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favour, the US opposed and two abstentions, the UK and Switzerland.

After vetoing the measure, the US deputy envoy to the UN, Robert Wood, said Washington believed there was no other path to Palestinian statehood than through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

“We have long been clear that premature actions here in New York, even with the best intentions, will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people,” Wood said.

Al Jazeera reports that the resolution was widely expected to fail as the US, Israel’s staunchest ally, holds veto power at the Security Council and had opposed its passage.

The state of Palestine currently is a non-member observer at the UN. But an application to become a full UN member needs to be approved by the Security Council and then at least two-thirds of the General Assembly.

Before the vote on Thursday afternoon, Ziad Abu Amr, the UN special representative for the state of Palestine had appealed for support.

“We are still longing to practise our right to self-determination, to live in freedom, security and peace in an independent state similar to other countries around the world,” Abu Amr told the Council.

Palestinians, he added, “made and continue to make great sacrifices to achieve this goal.”

Reactions to the US veto

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the US veto was a “blatant aggression which pushes the region ever further to the edge of the abyss.”

Hamas said it condemned US’s “biased” position “in the strongest terms.”

Egypt expressed “deep regret” over the move, saying the US was violating its “legal and historical responsibility” by denying Palestinian statehood.

Russia said the US had demonstrated that it only considered the “the interest of Israel.” 

Tehran said the US Security Council veto to block Palestine from achieving full UN membership was “irresponsible.”

He described the move as “irresponsible” and “unconstructive.”

Saudi Arabia has expressed regret over the failure of the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution accepting full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations.

But Israeli foreign minister, Israeli Katz, commended the US for casting a veto on Thursday, saying, “The shameful proposal was rejected. Terrorism will not be rewarded.”

Gaza death tops 34,000

The veto comes more than six months into Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and plunged the coastal enclave into a humanitarian catastrophe. Duration 00 minutes 46 seconds00:46

At least 34,012 Palestinians have been killed and 76,833 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, its Health Ministry says.

The ministry added that 42 people were killed and 63 injured in the latest 24-hour reporting period.

Meanwhile, among the nearly one-third of people killed in the Gaza war, at least 10,000  have been women, according to UN Women.

Out of these women, 6,000 are mothers, whose deaths have left 19,000 orphans, according to UN Women.