The United States voted against a Palestinian request to the United Nations Security Council for full UN membership, blocking the world body's recognition of a Palestinian state. The draft resolution received 12 votes in favour, two abstentions from the UK and Switzerland, and one vote against.

New York

The United States vetoed a Palestinian request for full membership in the United Nations Security Council, effectively halting the global recognition of a Palestinian state. In the vote, the draft resolution advocating for Palestine's admittance as a full UN member garnered support from 12 of the council's members, with the United Kingdom and Switzerland opting to abstain, and the United States casting the sole dissenting vote against the measure.

The vote reflects the United States' stance that Palestinian statehood should be achieved through direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine, rather than through unilateral actions at the UN. This decision came amidst assertions from the U.S. that the move was not an opposition to the principle of a Palestinian state but rather a conviction that a lasting peace can only be secured through direct dialogue. If the United States had not exercised its veto power, the proposal would have been put to a vote in the UN General Assembly, where past instances have shown strong support for Palestinian recognition.

The Palestinian representative responded to the U.S. veto by questioning America's commitment to achieving peace through diplomacy, given the Israeli government's opposition to a two-state solution—a stance counter to what many international actors consider as the only viable resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Countries from the Middle East, alongside Russia and China, have voiced their disapproval of the U.S. veto. This incident marks a rare use of U.S. veto power in the Security Council concerning membership admissions, drawing parallels to a similar occurrence nearly half a century ago when the United States blocked the admission of Vietnam to the UN.



U.S. vetoes Palestinian request for U.N. membership

Once again, the United States has had to use its veto to block a U.N. Security Council measure regarding Israel and Palestine. Twelve members voted in favor of recommending that the U.N. admit Palestine as a full member, including Russia, China and France, with the U.K. and Switzerland abstaining, and the United States isolated in voting no. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS The vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties. Had the United States not vetoed the measure, the General Assembly would have been able to vote directly on whether Palestine should be a full member. The last time the General Assembly had a vote on Palestinian recognition, it overwhelmingly voted in favor of admission, granting Palestine the status of a non-member observer state in 2012. After Thursday's veto, the envoy from Palestine questioned the United States' assertion that recognition of Palestinian statehood must come through diplomacy with Israel. The Israeli government opposes a two-state solution, even though it is the outcome supported by most of the international community. ABDUL KHADIJA, Israeli Ambassador to the United States to the United Nations for Peace and Security to the United States of America, Spokesman for the United States of America Our right to self-determination is a natural right, a historic right, a legal right, a right to live in our homeland, Palestine, as an independent state that is free and that is sovereign. But the question remains, is Israel a true partner for peace? The U.S. veto drew condemnation from countries throughout the Middle East, as well as Russia and China. The last time U.N. membership was vetoed dates back almost 50 years, when the United States unilaterally blocked the admission of Vietnam.

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