5 Minutes Read
Why US vetoed the Palestinian bid for recognition as full UN member state
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)
Summary
While 12 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, China and France, voted in favour of the measure, the United States opposed, with abstentions from Switzerland and Britain.
The US, a close ally of Israel, vetoed a widely backed UN Security Council resolution that would have paved the way for Palestine to be recognised as a full member state at the United Nations. The country vetoed a draft resolution that recommended to the 193-member UNSC that “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership” of the world body.
While 12 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, China and France, voted in favour of the measure, one — the United States — opposed, with abstentions from Switzerland and Britain.
Why the US vetoed
The vote comes amid Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza after militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing at least 1,200 people, while more than 250 people were taken hostage. Israel has claimed to be retaliating against Hamas in Gaza, where nearly 34,000 people have been killed so far.
US President Joe Biden and his government are facing intense pressure internationally to do more to address the dire humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
Ahead of the US presidential elections slated for November this year, the Biden administration has faced criticism from within the party and a few Democrats for its continued support to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government in its ongoing war in Gaza.
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations had renewed the request for a full membership for Palestine a few weeks ago. A UNSC committee later discussed the request and stated on Tuesday that the council members were divided about whether they should recommend accepting Palestine as a full member, reports said.
In the meantime, the Biden administration had been pressing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his advisers to avoid moving forward with their request. But, Abbas rejected the move.
‘Direct negotiations’
When asked about the US move, a State Department spokesperson said, “It remains the US view that the most expeditious path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the support of the US and other partners.”
Earlier, Deputy US Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, said the same thing before the council. “This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgement that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties,” Wood noted.
How did Palestine react?
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the UN, described the bid for full-member status as its effort “to take our rightful place among the community of nations.”
Palestinians at present are a non-member observer state, a de facto recognition of statehood which was earlier granted by the UN General Assembly in 2012. Its application to become a full member of the world body had to be approved by the Security Council and later by at least two-thirds of the General Assembly.
“Our right to self-determination is a natural right — a historical right — to live in our homeland Palestine as an independent state that is free and that is sovereign,” Mansour said after the vote.
For a long time, the UNSC has endorsed a vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognised borders. On the other hand, the Palestinians have asked for a state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip — territories captured by Israel in 1967.
The Palestinian Authority, headed by Abbas, exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank region, while it was ousted from power by Hamas in Gaza in 2007.
‘Shameful proposal’
After the vote, Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz said “the shameful proposal was rejected” by the UN, adding that “terrorism will not be rewarded.”
Israel was admitted as a full member of the United Nations in 1949.
Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout
3 Mins Read
Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter
Daily Newsletter
