US vetoes Palestine's UN membership bid; receives criticisms from other members

The United States of America has vetoed the resolution at the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the state of Palestine to gain full membership in the United Nations. Twelve countries have voted in favor of the resolution, which was drafted after an hours-long Security Council session in New York on Thursday, while Britain and Switzerland abstained from the absolution.

Here’s what the countries have to say about this

Palestinian Authority

From the office of the Palestinian Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas commented about the US veto saying that it was indeed a “blatant aggression, which pushes the region ever further to the edge of the abyss”. He added in his statement that it was “unfair, unethical, and unjustified”.

The Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour said “The fact that this resolution did not pass will not break our will, and it will not defeat our determination,” Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said after the vote. “We will not stop in our effort. The state of Palestine is inevitable. It is real,” he added.

“Please remember that once this session adjourns, in Palestine, there are innocents paying the price with their lives … for the delay in justice, freedom and peace,” he said in continuation to his statement.

Hamas

The Palestinian armed group whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, became the preface of all the ongoing conflicts in the Palestine-Israel regions accused the US for standing like an obstacle in an international bid. The group said in a statement that it condemns “in the strongest terms the American position biased towards the occupation”, as it called on the international community “to exert pressure to go beyond the American will and support the struggle of our Palestinian people and their legitimate right to self-determination”.

Hamas assured the resilience of Palestinian people against the current regime as they added, “We assure the world that our Palestinian people will continue their struggle and resistance until they defeat the occupation, take away their rights, and establish their independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,”.

Qatar

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar in their recent statement on X expressed “deep regret” at the “failure” of the UNSC to pass the resolution and added it “considered it a sad day for justice and a setback for efforts to bring peace to the region. This reveals the council’s “inability to carry out its responsibilities and role within the framework of maintaining international peace and security, especially in light of the brutal war on the Gaza Strip”

Statement | Qatar Expresses Deep Regret at Security Council’s Failure to Adopt Draft Resolution Accepting Palestine’s Full Membership to UN#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/0bD8UImawg

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) April 19, 2024

Israel

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz appreciated US for vetoing the resolution, he quoted the UN resolution as a “shameful proposal”, in a post on X. “It is outrageous that even half a year after the October 7 massacre, the UN Security Council failed to condemn Hamas horrific crimes,” he commentated, referring to the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that triggered the current conflict. At least 33,970 people have been killed and 76,770 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 which also includes more than 12,000 children.

United States

“Since the attacks of October 7, President Biden has been clear that sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved through a two-state solution with Israel’s security guarantee,” he said after he raised his hand to vote against and veto the resolution. “ Said the US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood.

He also added that his country “has worked vigorously and with determination to support Palestinian statehood in the context of a comprehensive peace agreement that would permanently resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. “There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and future as a democratic Jewish state,” he continued.

He said that “there are unresolved questions as to whether the applicant meets the criteria to be considered a state”. “We have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas, a terrorist organization, is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution,” he quoted.

Russia

Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said about US’s veto, that it has made it clear “what they really think of the Palestinians”. Washington thinks “they do not deserve to have their own state”, and it only realises “the interest of Israel”, he continued.

Nebenzia criticized US for turning a blind eye to the “crimes of Israel” against civilians in Gaza. “The aim is to break the Palestinians’s will, to force them once and for all to submit to the occupying power, to turn them into servants and second-class persons, and perhaps, to once and for all force them out of their native territory,” he said.