U.S. sides with Israel, vetoes Palestinian bid for full UN membership

Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood  voted no and vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to accept Palestine as a full member of the UN and for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The U.S. on Thursday voted no and vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution to accept Palestine as a full member of the UN.

Why it matters: The vote comes six months into the Hamas-Israel war and amid intense pressure on President Biden internationally and among his own party to do more to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

• The administration has faced criticism from some Democrats for its continued support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government in the war against Hamas.

Driving the news: The U.S. used its veto power in the 15-member UN Security Council to oppose a draft resolution that would give Palestine full member status at the UN instead of its current observer status.

• There were 12 votes in favor of the resolution: Russia, China, France, Japan, South Korea, Ecuador, Algeria, Malta, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Guyana.
• Two member states — the U.K. and Switzerland — abstained from voting.
• For a draft resolution to pass, the Council must have at least nine members in favour and none of its permanent members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States – using their veto power.
• The Palestinian ambassador to the UN renewed the request for full UN membership for Palestine two weeks ago.
• A UN Security Council committee discussed the request and on Tuesday said the 15 council members are divided about whether they should recommend accepting Palestine as a full member, according to a copy of the report.
• Over the last two weeks, the Biden administration has been pressing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his advisers to not move forward with their bid, but Abbas rejected those requests.
• The Palestinian presidency condemned the U.S. veto and said it is a “blatant violation of international law” that encourages Israel to continue its war against the Palestinians. 
• The Palestinian representative to the UN Ziad Abu Amr in a speech said he saluted the countries that voted in favor of the proposed resolution. “We will not disappear. Give us our rights,” he said.
• The U.S. representative at the meeting said the vote doesn’t mean the U.S. is against a Palestinian state but that it should be a result of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and not a unilateral move through the UN.
• State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said earlier Thursday the U.S. would be voting no to the proposed resolution and mentioned there wasn’t unanimity on the council that the criteria for membership were met. 
• He added that according to U.S. law, if the resolution passed, the Biden administration would have to defund the UN, which is not something it wants to do.
• Ever since Biden was elected as the US president he has been calling for 2 state-solution despite the objections of Israeli PM Netanyahu . By reversing his position on Palestinian statehood , months before the election , Biden will certainly lose the vote of The Arab Americans which will adversely affect the results of the elections and specially in the swing states , according Arab American media .
• Hamas denounced the United States for its decision on Friday to veto a resolution in the United NationsSecurity Council that would have called for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. “We strongly condemn Washington’s use of veto against a draft resolution in the Security Council demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. We consider it an immoral and inhumane position,” Izzat al-Risheq, Hamas political bureau member, said in a statement.
• With its veto, the U.S. effectively sided with Israel . The resolution also called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” “America’s obstruction of the issuance of a ceasefire resolution is a direct participation of the occupation in killing our people and committing more massacres and ethnic cleansing,” al-Risheq added in his statement.

Azios / YL