Palestinian membership in the United Nations was blocked by the US veto

Last Updated on April 19, 2024 1:42 am

The United States has vetoed a Security Council vote on Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.

The 15-member Security Council voted on the draft resolution on Thursday.

Reuters reported on Friday that the 193-member UN General Assembly recommended the inclusion of the State of Palestine as a member of the UN. Among the Security Council members, Britain and Switzerland abstained from voting. The remaining 12 council members voted ‘yes’. Israel’s close ally, the United States, provided the veto.

A Security Council resolution requires a vote of at least 9 countries. However, the proposal will not be passed if any of these five countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China, veto it.

Palestine was granted observer status at the United Nations in 2012. The country has been trying for years to gain full membership of the United Nations. Their application to become full members of the United Nations must be approved by the Security Council. After that, the support of at least two-thirds of the member states of the General Assembly will be required.

The UN Security Council has long supported the vision of Palestinian and Israeli states living side by side within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. In 1967, Israel occupied much of the region.

Since the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the early 1990s, little progress has been made towards achieving a Palestinian state.