The United States vetoes Palestine from becoming a full member of the United Nations

The United States again cares about Israel’s interests and opposes Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations. Washington has fulfilled its promise to exercise voting rights in the Security Council, which State Department spokesman Vedant Patel had announced just hours earlier.

In favor of the proposal submitted by Algeria to admit Palestine to the United Nations – it is now an observer member – and to Guterres’s request to the Permanent Observer of Palestine to reconsider the membership application already submitted in 2011, 12 members voted. Have voted. There have only been two abstentions, and the United States has voted against. Washington’s vote against it invalidates the resolution.

Immediately after the vote, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Robert A. Wood defended, saying, “The United States has acted with passion and determination to support Palestinian statehood within a comprehensive peace framework that permanently resolves the Israel–Palestine conflict.” Wood justified the decision to veto Palestine’s entry into the United Nations as an act of “responsibility”: “No premature action by New York, even with good intentions, will achieve statehood for the Palestinian people. Will do.” Council members have a great responsibility to ensure that our actions promote peace and conform to the requirements imposed by the (United Nations) Charter.”

Before the voting began, Algeria had asked that the Council reject “attempts to annihilate the Palestinian people and destroy any possibility of Palestinian statehood and peace” in favor of recommending Palestine as a full state. Vote. Algerian representative to the UN Amr Bendjamaa said, “Let us welcome Palestine to the UN and resume a new peace process between equal peoples.” He warned that if “no action is taken today, this issue will be in the dark forever.”

After the veto took effect, Algeria thanked for the “overwhelming support for the request for the state of Palestine” and assured that “we will come back with greater strength, speaking loudly and clearly.” “Algeria’s efforts will not stop until the State of Palestine becomes a full member of the United Nations,” Bendjamaa said.

Riad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, said, “Our right to self-determination is not a matter of bargaining, it is a historical right to live in our homeland,” and accused Israel of being a “genocidal power.” Mansour warned after seeing how Palestine’s chances of entering the United Nations as a full member had vanished, “The people of Palestine cannot be buried.”

As if the veto were not enough, Washington has also threatened to “withdraw” North American funding from the United Nations if it allows full annexation of Palestine. According to Efe, the United States is currently the largest contributor to the United Nations: last year alone it contributed more than $18 billion.

Before the debate on the Palestinian question ended in the Security Council this Thursday, and before all the countries expressed their positions on the status of Palestine following a resolution presented by Algeria, Washington already announced that it would use its right of veto. Is planning to use. This was even before it was known whether the Palestinians had the votes of at least 9 of the 15 Security Council members – they eventually secured 12. This is the minimum figure in order to implement a Security Council recommendation so that the General Assembly can vote on the addition of a new member state. Specifically, it requires the support of two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly.

The North American veto was announced by United States Ambassador Robert A. Immediately after Wood finished his speech. In fact, when it came to speaking, he almost did not mention the Palestine issue. Much of his time has been devoted to condemning the attacks, Iran’s attacks last Saturday and reaffirming Americans’ “strong” support in defense of Israel. Once again, he blamed Hamas as “solely” responsible for the ceasefire still not happening in Gaza. “If Hamas had accepted Israel’s proposals (in negotiations to free the Israeli hostages) the ceasefire would have already been accepted. “Hamas is the only obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.

The only indirect reference to the question of Palestinian statehood came when he said he would “continue direct diplomacy so that Israel maintains dialogue with its neighbors.” We have to achieve credible measures to build both states.” Woods also did not respond to a question raised by Palestine’s Special Representative Ziad Abu Amr, who reminded him that when Israel was recognized as a UN member state, no negotiations were required: “How was the State of Israel created? , Was it not through UN Resolution 181?”

Similarly, Abu Amr has claimed that the region “will not enjoy stability without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.” At the other extreme, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan dedicated himself to warming the atmosphere of the session and assured that “there is no greater reward for terrorism than today’s meeting.”

At the start of the debate, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underlined the “responsibility and moral obligation” of the international community to make a Palestinian state viable. Guterres has stressed that recognizing the State of Palestine would be a way to reduce tensions in the region, which he once again recalled is “on the brink of the abyss” following Iran’s attack against Israel. “. Guterres’ support for Palestine becoming the 194th UN member state has only symbolic value, as he has no power to interfere in the accession process.

The Palestinians are currently a non-member observer state, de facto recognition of their statehood which was granted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. If Palestine is accepted, it will be a historic diplomatic victory.

In 2011, a committee of the Security Council evaluated the Palestinian request for several weeks, but did not reach a unanimous position, and the council never voted on a resolution recommending Palestinian membership, Reuters reported. Diplomats then said the Palestinians did not have enough support for approval and Washington expressed its opposition to the measure.

The debate over whether to recognize Palestine as a UN member state comes six months after Israel began its war in Gaza six months ago and the Israeli offensive has already killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. During this period, Israel has also expanded its occupied areas in the West Bank.

Spain demands immediate recognition

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Alberes, has declared before the UN Security Council that “Spain is going to recognize the Palestinian state because the Palestinian people cannot be condemned as a people of refugees.” Thus, the minister stressed that “guaranteeing” peace in the region is “only one way to achieve it.” And he recalled that 76 years ago, the first United Nations peacekeeping mission was in Palestine. “How much longer should we wait for this to be resolved?” Alberes insisted to council members.

Albares has argued that Palestinians “have a right to a future with hope, just as the Israeli people have a right to a future of peace and security.” In this way he has linked the security of Tel Aviv and the peace of the region to the existence of the Palestinian state. Calling for a two-state solution, he assured, “Both have the right, the same right.” Noting the increase in tensions in the Middle East following Iran’s attack against Israel last Saturday, the Spanish representative asked that “the cycle of violence must stop.”