The United States on Thursday vetoed the UN Security Council’s move toward granting full membership to a state calling itself “Palestine” at the United Nations, thwarting attempts to garner international support for the initiative. The resolution won 12 votes in favor, with Britain and Switzerland abstaining and the US voting against it.
Ramallah condemned the US veto, calling it unfair, unethical, and unjustifiable, claiming “this aggressive US policy towards Palestine and its legitimate rights represents a blatant violation of international law. It fosters Israel’s ongoing campaign of aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and pushes the region to the brink of an abyss.”
The PA response also suggested, “this aggressive US veto exposes the contradictions in American policy, which claims to support a two-state solution while repeatedly obstructing it through vetoing resolutions in the Security Council against Palestine and its legitimate rights.”
Vedant Patel, the State Dept. Principal Deputy Spokesperson, on Thursday, explained the reasons for the veto, saying, “We have been very clear consistently that premature actions in New York, even with the best intentions, will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people.”
Patel also noted that “as reflected in the report of the admission committee, there was not unanimity among the committee members as to whether the applicant met the criteria of membership set forth in Article 4 of the UN Charter.”
Article 4 says, “Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.”
“Specifically, there are unresolved questions as to whether the applicant can meet criteria to be considered as a state,” Patel said, explaining, “We’ve long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas, which is – as you all know – a terrorist organization, is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, which would be an integral part of the envisioned state in this resolution. And for that reason, the United States is voting no on this proposed Security Council resolution.”
“Palestine” has permanent observer status in the UN. In 2011, the PA applied for full membership but was forced to remain an observer. In April 2024, the PA sent a letter to the UN Security Council asking that its application to join the UN as a full member be reconsidered.
On April 4, Malta, which holds the UN Security Council presidency this month, granted the request, which was supported by letters from the group of Arab Nations at the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement. The request included a list of 140 countries that have already recognized “Palestine” as a sovereign country.
Needless to say, Israel was not on that list, and, God willing, never will be.
Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya told the UNSC, “The suffering of peaceful Palestinians resonates in the hearts and souls of millions of people around the world. In the countries that supply arms to West Jerusalem, the voices of those who want to ban such supplies are growing louder.”
“The results of the vote, when Washington found itself almost completely isolated, speak for themselves,” a frustrated Nebenzya continued, describing the US veto as a “fruitless attempt to stop the inexorable course of history.”
“Indulging in the most reckless actions of its ally, unwillingness to seek just solutions within the existing international legal framework is a direct way to the abyss of war that could engulf the entire region,” Nebenzya said. “History will not forgive you. We call on the United States to listen to the voice of reason, and think about the consequences of its decisions.”
The ambassador had nothing to say about the suffering of peaceful Ukrainians under ceaseless bombardments by his country.
