UN: US Vetoes Palestinian Push for Full Membership

Facts

• The US vetoed a Palestinian request to the UN Security Council (UNSC) for full UN membership on Thursday, effectively blocking the world body from recognizing a Palestinian state.¹
• The draft resolution, issued by Algeria, recommended that 'the State of Palestine be admitted to membership' to the UN. 12 of the 15-member UNSC voted in favor while the UK and Switzerland abstained.²
• Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan welcomed the US move as a decision for 'truth and morality in the face of hypocrisy and politics,' claiming Palestinians failed to meet the necessary UN membership criteria.³
• The office of Palestinian Authority Pres. Mahmoud Abbas condemned the US veto against the draft submitted by Algeria, calling it an 'aggression' that pushes the Middle East further to 'the edge of the abyss.'⁴
• The US veto comes as Palestine — a 'Permanent Observer' to the UN since 2012 — filed a request with the UN Secretary-General in early April asking for a 2011 bid to join the UN to be reconsidered.⁵
• Addressing the UNSC, UN chief António Guterres called for 'lasting peace' between Israel and a 'fully independent' Palestinian state. Full Membership requires the Council and two-thirds of the General Assembly to agree.⁶

Sources: ¹reuters.com, ²New York Times, ³timesofisrael.com, ⁴The New Arab, ⁵UN News and ⁶Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Palestinian statehood can only be achieved through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Apart from that, the Palestinian Authority failed to implement the reforms necessary for the US not to veto. Meanwhile, Gaza — an essential part of a possible Palestinian state — is ruled by the Hamas terror group. Peaceful coexistence cannot be dictated, and as long as Palestinian leaders support Hamas and refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist, there will be no Palestinian state.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Common Dreams. That the US was the only UNSC member to veto the draft once again exposes its alleged full support for a two-state solution as empty talk. Yet it's the US and the UK that are primarily responsible for the Middle East's mess through their century of interference and imperialism. Not only do two-thirds of UN members already recognize the state of Palestine, but granting it UN membership and a two-state solution is the only path to peace for both sides.

Predictions