The United States has announced its opposition to Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations during an upcoming vote in the UN Security Council. According to Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the US Department of State, direct negotiations with Israel are the best way to establish a Palestinian state. Patel emphasized that premature actions, even with good intentions, would not succeed in creating a state for the Palestinian people.
Patel stressed that the quickest path to a Palestinian state is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, supported by the US and other partners who share this goal. He mentioned that the Palestinian Authority has been asked to take necessary steps to prepare for statehood so that Gaza, currently under Hamas control, can be an integral part of the future state.
However, there has not been unanimity among the Admission Commission members regarding the proposal to submit it to the Security Council. There are concerns about whether the proposal meets the criteria to be considered a state. The resolution requires support from at least nine of the Council’s 15 members, with no permanent member voting against it.
After the Security Council vote, if approved, then it must undergo a second vote in General Assembly where two-thirds majority of member states is needed for approval. The petition for Palestinian membership was first presented in 2011 and has been relaunched after the Palestinian representative requested a review of non-member observer status.