US vetoes motion with broad support endorsing Palestine’s full UN membership

The United States said no to a UN resolution that would have allowed Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations. Palestine has wanted this for a long time, but Israel has been against it.

The Security Council voted on a decision, with 12 members saying yes, the United States saying no, and the United Kingdom and Switzerland not deciding. France, Japan, and South Korea were in favor of the resolution.

Many countries are recognizing the statehood of Palestinians and supporting them because they are facing a humanitarian crisis due to the war in Gaza.

The resolution wanted the UN General Assembly to approve Palestine joining as the 194th member of the United Nations. “About 140 countries have agreed that Palestine is a country. Many more countries would probably have said yes too. ”

US deputy ambassador Robert Wood said to the Security Council that the veto does not show disapproval for Palestine becoming a state. Instead, it shows that it can only happen through talks between both sides.

The United States has always said that taking action too soon in New York won’t make Palestine a state, even if people have good intentions. This was said by Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the State Department.

Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said that even though the resolution did not pass, it will not weaken their resolve. He felt emotional as he spoke.

“He said we will keep trying and not give up. ” Palestine will definitely exist in the future. It’s trueMaybe they think it’s far, but we think it’s close.

This is the second time Palestinians are trying to be full members and it’s happening while there is a war in Gaza. This war has brought a lot of attention to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which has been going on for over 75 years.

In 2011, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas requested for the Palestinian Authority to be a member of the UN. It didn’t work because the Palestinians didn’t get enough support from at least nine out of the 15 members of the Security Council.

They went to a meeting and most of the people agreed to give them a higher position in the UN in 2012. This allowed the Palestinian territories to become members of the UN and other international groups, like the International Criminal Court.

Algerian UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama, who is representing Arab countries, proposed a resolution to admit Palestine. He said it is an important step to correct a long-standing unfair situation and believes that peace will only come by including Palestine, not by keeping it out.

Wood said the US veto is because there are still some questions about whether Palestine can be thought of as a state. He said Hamas still has control and influence in the Gaza Strip, which is an important part of the state the Palestinians want.

Wood said that the US is committed to finding a way for Israel and Palestine to live in peace as two separate countries. This is important for the security of both sides and for Israel to have good relationships with its Arab neighbors, like Saudi Arabia.

The United States wants to work more closely with the Palestinians and the rest of the area. They want to help solve the problems in Gaza and work towards a plan that will allow the Palestinians to have their own country and be part of the United Nations.

Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, repeated the promise to have two separate states. He said that Israel thinks that Palestine is a lasting danger to their strategic plans.

“Israel will try very hard to stop the Palestinian state from becoming independent and to keep the Palestinian people from living in their own country, or to always control them. ”

He asked the council and diplomats in the chamber, “What will the world do. What will you do. ”

The talks between Israel and Palestine have not been happening for a long time. The government in Israel is mostly made up of people who are against the idea of Palestine becoming its own country.

Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said the resolution is not connected to what is really happening and will only cause more problems in the future. It will make it harder to have conversations and find solutions.

Half a year after the Oct 7 attack by the Hamas militant group, which controlled Gaza, and the killing of 1,200 people in “the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” he accused the Security Council of seeking “to reward the perpetrators of these atrocities with statehood. ” Six months after the Hamas attack and the killing of 1,200 people, he said the Security Council wants to give statehood to the people who did these terrible things.

Israel’s attack killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, and caused a lot of damage to the territory. Many people criticized the attack on Thursday.

After the vote, Erdan said thank you to the United States and especially President Joe Biden for supporting truth and morality despite hypocrisy and politics.

He said the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank and the US wants to take control of Gaza from Hamas, is a group that supports terrorism.

The Israeli ambassador at the UN talked about the rules for joining the UN, which include following the UN Charter and being a country that wants peace.

Erdan asked how could anyone seriously say that Palestinians are peace-loving. “The Palestinians are giving money to terrorists to kill us. ” None of their leaders speak out against terrorism or the October 7 massacre. Hamas is like a brother to them.

Although Palestinians did not meet the requirements for UN membership, Erdan said that most council members were in favor of it.

“He said it’s really sad because your vote will make it even harder for peace and give more confidence to the Palestinians who reject it. “