- US vetoed UNSC resolution granting Palestine full UN membership
- Palestinian, Qatari, Turkish, Egyptian responses express regret and condemnation
- Israel praises US decision; concerns raised over Hamas actions
A draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that advocated for the State of Palestine to be granted complete membership in the organization was vetoed by the United States.
The veto by Israel’s principal political and military supporter was anticipated before the vote on Thursday. The Algeria-introduced resolution was supported by twelve nations in the voting process; the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstained.
Some international responses are as follows:
Palestine Domination
The Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, described the United States veto as “blatant aggression… which further destabilises the region.”
The presidency characterized the United States veto as “unfair, unethical, and unjustified” in a statement.
“The failure to pass this resolution will not derail our resolve, nor will it undermine our resolve,” stated Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, following the vote.
“We shall not cease our endeavours.” Palestine in its current condition is inevitable. “It is true,” he declared.
“Please bear in mind that innocent people in Palestine will betray their lives once this session adjourns… for the postponement of justice, freedom, and peace,” he further stated.
The Hamas
The Palestinian armed group charged that the United States was “confronting international will” by denying the Palestinians complete membership in the organization and exercising its veto power.
The organization condemned “in the strongest terms the American position that was biassed towards the occupation” and urged the international community to “extend pressure beyond the American will and support the legitimate right to self-determination and the struggle of our Palestinian people.”
“We provide global reassurance that our Palestinian people will persist in their resistance and struggle until they prevail over the occupation, which denies them their rights and forces them to establish a Jerusalem-capitalized, independent, and sovereign Palestinian state,” the statement continued.
Qatari
The UN Security Council’s “failure” to adopt the resolution was met with “deep regret” from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which described the situation as “a sad day for justice and a setback for efforts to bring peace to the region.”
It was stated that this “demonstrates the council’s incapability to fulfil its duties and function in a manner consistent with the preservation of global peace and security, particularly in view of the brutal conflict in the Gaza Strip.”
Egypt
The UNSC’s failure to pass the resolution was met with “deep regret” from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which added that granting Palestine’s request for complete membership in the United Nations was “an inherent right of the Palestinian people” and a crucial step forward.
It stated that impeding Palestine’s progress towards full membership in the United Nations is contrary to the international community’s “historical and legal obligation” and that it must assist all parties in locating a “final and just resolution to the Palestinian issue.”
Turkey
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated, “Although the international community is united in support of Palestine, the United States regrettably reaffirms its position by siding with Israel.”
“Anyway, we had not anticipated anything different.”
The Israel
In an X post, Israel Katz, the foreign minister of Israel, praised the United States for vetoing the resolution, which he described as a “horrendous proposition.”
“It is abhorrent that the United Nations Security Council failed to condemn Hamas’s heinous crimes even six months after the October 7 massacre,” he wrote, referring to the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that instigated the current conflict. Since October 7, at least 33,970 individuals have been slain and 76,770 have been injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
United States
Robert Wood, the United States’ deputy ambassador to the United Nations, stated that his nation “has laboriously and resolutely supported Palestinian statehood within the framework of a comprehensive peace accord that would definitively end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
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“Since the October 7 attacks, President Biden has consistently maintained that a two-state solution ensuring Israel’s security is the sole path to lasting peace in the region,” he stated as he raised his hand to veto the resolution.
Wood continued, “No alternative course of action ensures the security and continuation of Israel as a democratic Jewish state in the future.”
“There are unanswered questions regarding whether the applicant meets the criteria to be considered a state,” he stated.
“We have consistently urged the Palestinian Authority to implement essential reforms that will assist in establishing the conditions for statehood. Furthermore, we have observed that Hamas, a terrorist organisation, is presently wielding influence and power in Gaza, which is a vital component of the state envisioned in this resolution,” he added.
