U.S. vetoes Palestinian bid to gain statehood at the United Nations

The U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution granting full Palestinian membership, sparking debate on peace and statehood.

The U.S. has vetoed a resolution in the U.N. Security Council on the latest Palestinian bid to be granted full membership of the United Nations, an outcome lauded by Israel but criticised by Palestine as “unfair, immoral, and unjustified".

The 15-nation Council voted on a draft resolution on April 18 that would have recommended to the 193-member U.N. General Assembly “that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.” The resolution got 12 votes in its favour, with Switzerland and the U.K. abstaining and the U.S. casting its veto.

To be adopted, the draft resolution required at least nine Council members voting in its favour, with no vetoes by any of its five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

U.N. Security Council refers Palestinian application to become full U.N. member to committee

Palestinian attempts for recognition as a full member state began in 2011. Palestine is currently a non-member observer state, a status that was granted in November 2012 by the U.N. General Assembly.

This status allows Palestine to participate in proceedings of the world body but it cannot vote on resolutions. The only other non-member Observer State at the U.N. is the Holy See, representing the Vatican.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz praised the U.S. for vetoing what he called a “shameful proposal.” “The proposal to recognise a Palestinian state, more than 6 months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and after the sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists was a reward for terrorism”, Katz wrote on X, after the US veto.