UNSC Rejects Palestine's Full Membership Due to US Veto
Hopes of full Palestinian membership in the UN have been dashed. The US vetoed the draft resolution and drew criticism from many countries.
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The Ambassador of Israel to the UN, Gilad Erdan (center), delivered a speech in front of members of the UN Security Council at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States, on Wednesday (17/4/2024). Original Article: PPP dan PKS terus berkutat dalam wilayah penentuan capres 2024. Namun, kedua partai ini dikritik oleh sebagian masyarakat karena dianggap terlalu memaksakan kehendak untuk mengusung kandidat tertentu. English Translation: The PPP and PKS continue to struggle in the area of determining the 2024 presidential candidate. However, these two parties have been criticized by some members of the public for allegedly forcing their will to support certain candidates.
NEW YORK, THURSDAY — The United Nations Security Council rejected a request to make Palestine a full UN member after the United States vetoed its draft resolution. Israel praised the US move. In contrast, The Palestinian Authority and Hamas criticized the US.
The resolution draft proposed by Algeria recommends that the United Nations General Assembly accept Palestine as a member of the UN. From the voting results, the resolution draft received 12 supporting votes, two abstentions (from the UK and Switzerland), and one rejection (from the US). US allies, such as France, Japan, and South Korea, supported the resolution.
The UN News page, Thursday (18/4/2024), stated that the draft resolution was one of the shortest in the history of the UN Security Council. The contents of the draft simply read: "The Security Council, after examining the application for the state of Palestine to be admitted to the UN (S/2011/592), recommends to the General Assembly that the state of Palestine be accepted as a member of the UN."
Also read: Free Palestine, Reality or Utopia?
Pro-Palestinian protesters take part in a demonstration on Al Quds Day in London, England, on April 5, 2024.
The Palestinian Authority considers the US veto to be equivalent to an aggression that will push the Middle East towards a deep abyss. The US action is deemed unfair, unethical, and unjustifiable.
The US veto shows contradictory US policy. The US claims to support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, but at the same time, the US prevents the implementation of such a solution.
Also read: Palestine Submits Request for UN Membership Again, US Opposes
"The US policy is clearly an open aggression against international law and a push for genocidal war against our people," said the Office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The US vetoed the draft resolution with the reason being that an independent state of Palestine must be established through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, not through a UN session. US Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, emphasized that the US still supports a two-state solution.
Demonstrators demonstrate in support of the Palestinian people in Lafayette Park opposite the White House, Washington, USA, on March 30, 2024.
The voting of this resolution, according to Wood, does not reflect a rejection of the state of Palestine. However, it is an acknowledgement that the formation of the state of Palestine will only happen through negotiations between parties.
The British Ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, explained the reason for the UK's abstention. In the UK's view, the current priority should be to address the crisis in Gaza.
US policy is clearly blatant aggression against international law and encouragement of genocidal war against our people.
The resolution draft can be passed if the UN Security Council has at least nine supporting member states and none of its permanent members use their veto power. The permanent members of the UN Security Council are China, France, Russia, UK, and US. Original Article: Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) kembali menunjukkan eksistensinya sebagai partai politik Islam konservatif yang masuk dalam koalisi pendukung pemerintah. Dalam Pemilihan Umum 2019 lalu, PKS hanya meraih 8,21 persen suara, turun dari Pemilihan Umum sebelumnya. Namun, kapabilitas dan pengaruh PKS dalam pemerintahan tampaknya tetap mampu mempertahankan posisinya. English Translation: The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) once again shows its existence as a conservative Islamic political party that is part of the ruling coalition. In the 2019 General Election, PKS only gained 8.21 percent of the votes, a decrease from the previous election. However, PKS's capability and influence in the government seem to still be able to maintain its position.
The request for full membership in the UN has been re-submitted by Palestine to the UN Secretary-General on April 2. Palestine requested that their 2011 request to become a UN member state be reconsidered.
Also read: Palestine: Between a Ceasefire and a Peaceful Solution
Pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in Liberty Square, Taipei, Taiwan on March 24, 2024. They condemned the genocide in Gaza to support the Palestinian people and opposed any form of Taiwan's involvement in the atrocities.
In 2011, the UN Security Council considered Palestine's request. However, the UN Security Council could not agree to send a recommendation to the General Assembly, which according to the UN Charter, must hold a vote involving all 193 member states.
In early April, the UNSC sent an updated request to the Reception Committee of Member States which met on April 8 and April 11 to discuss the issue. Palestine has been a permanent observer at the UN since 2012. This is a form of de facto recognition of statehood status granted by the UN General Assembly.
Also read: UN Fails to Answer Gaza's Needs, US Increasingly Isolated
Previously, Palestine became an observer at the United Nations General Assembly. Palestine's push to become a full member of the UN occurred six months after the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and when Israel expanded settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"The failure to achieve progress towards a two-state solution will only increase instability and risks for hundreds of millions of people in this region who will continue to live under the threat of violence," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the UN Security Council.
The United Nations has long supported the vision of two countries living side by side within safe and recognized boundaries. Palestine demands a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
These territories were captured by Israel in the 1967 War. The Palestinian Authority led by Abbas runs a limited self-governing government in the West Bank. Hamas overthrew the Palestinian Authority from power in Gaza in 2007.
Also read: UNSC Calls for First Ceasefire in Gaza
The Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said that Palestine does not meet the criteria to become a full member of the UN. The reason is that Palestine does not have a permanent population, defined territory, government, and capacity to establish relations with other countries.
"Who will be chosen by the council to 'acknowledge' and grant full membership status? Hamas in Gaza? Islamic Jihad in Nablus?" Erdan asked the UN.
Palestinians queue to receive free food aid at the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Monday (18/3/2024).
Erdan emphasized that granting full membership to Palestine in the UN will not have a positive impact on anyone. It will only lead to destruction in the coming years and damage opportunities for dialogue in the future.
Special envoy Abbas' representative, Ziad Abu Amr, stated that Palestine's full membership in the UN is not an alternative to serious political negotiations to implement a two-state solution and resolve remaining issues. However, this resolution will provide hope for the Palestinian people to obtain a decent life in an independent country.
Also read: The UN Failed to Protect the Palestinian People
The resolution will not damage the prospect of peace between Palestine and Israel. It will not endanger international peace and security either. "Those who obstruct the implementation of the resolution are actually not assisting the prospects of peace between Palestine and Israel and the prospects of peace in the Middle East in general," he said.
This is not the first time the US has vetoed full membership of a country. Previously, the US had vetoed Vietnam's full membership resolution in 1976. The US decision to veto the Palestinian resolution was regretted by many countries, such as China and Egypt. Chinese Ambassador to the UN Fu Cong said that Palestine's failure to become a full member of the UN was a sad day and the US veto was the most disappointing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt also regrets the UN's inability to make Palestine the 194th member state of the UN. Around 140 countries have recognized Palestine, so their recognition is believed to be approved if the US does not obstruct it with its veto. (REUTERS/AFP/AP)
