United States Vetoes Palestine’s bid for United Nations Membership

NEW YORK,  NY April 18, 2024 - Despite the platitudinous claim by the United States that they have always advocated a "two-state solution" towards the Arab-Israeli problem in the middle east, the US continues to prove itself as an unrepentant pro-israel supporter, and the Palestinians be damned.

In a vote of 12 in favour to one against, with two abstentions on Thursday, the United nations Security Council because of the United States Veto, failed to adopt a draft resolution recommending that the General Assembly hold a vote with the broader UN membership to allow Palestine to join as a full UN Member State.

The draft resolution is among the shortest in the Council’s history: “The Security Council, having examined the application of the State of Palestine for admission to the United Nations (S/2011/592), recommends to the General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”

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.

Amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Palestine had submitted a request to the Secretary-General on 2 April, asking that a 2011 request to become a UN Member State be reconsidered.

In 2011, the Security Council considered the request but was not able to find unity in sending a recommendation to the General Assembly, which according to the UN Charter must hold a vote involving its 193 Member States.

Earlier this month, the Security Council sent the latest request to its Committee on the Admission of Member States, which met on 8 and 11 April to discuss the matter.

Palestine has been a Permanent Observer at the UN since 2012, Right now, Palestine has been a “Permanent Observer State” at the UN since 2012, enjoying the status that allows it to participate in all of the Organization’s proceedings, except for voting on draft resolutions and decisions in its main organs and bodies, from the Security Council to the General Assembly and its six main committees. 

Before this Palestine was an observer in the UN General Assembly.

Agreement between the UN General Assembly and the Security Council is needed to admit any new Member States.

Any application for UN membership comes to the UN Secretary-General and then is forwarded to the Security Council and the General Assembly.

The 15-member organ decides whether or not to recommend the admission to the 193-member General Assembly after its Committee on Admission of New Members deliberates on the matter.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said this marked the fifth time the United States has vetoed a Council resolution since the start of the current hostilities in Gaza.

The US “once again demonstrated what they really think of the Palestinians”, he said. “For Washington, they do not deserve to have their own State. They are only a barrier on the path towards realising the interests of Israel.”

He said at present, an absolute majority of the global community supports Palestine’s application to become a full member of the UN.

“Today’s use of the veto by the US delegation is a hopeless attempt to stop the inevitable course of history. The results of the vote, where Washington was practically in complete isolation, speak for themselves,” he said.

Read our explainer to find out more about Palestine’s status at the UN here.

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