U.S. hijacks Security Council.. US veto against full membership of Palestine in the United Nations
The Fall of Illusion: Where are the Claims of Working for the Establishment of a Palestinian State
Afrasianet - The United States on Thursday vetoed a resolution opening the door to full membership of the United Nations.
The draft resolution submitted by Algeria, which "recommends to the General Assembly of 193 countries the admission of the State of Palestine to membership in the United Nations", received 12 votes in favor and two abstentions, Britain and Switzerland, while the United States, which has veto power as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, opposed it.
Despite the US veto, "the overwhelming support of council members sends a very clear message that the State of Palestine deserves its place" at the United Nations, Algerian Ambassador Ammar Ben Jammeh said, promising on behalf of the Arab Group to make this request again at a later date, adding, "Yes, we will come back stronger."
Palestinians currently have non-member status with observer status, a de facto recognition of the existence of a Palestinian state endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2012. But an application for full membership of the world body needs the approval of the Security Council and then the approval of at least two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly.
The Palestinian bid for full membership in the United Nations comes 6 months after the outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinian resistance, and at a time when Israel is expanding its settlements in the occupied West Bank.
During the Security Council session, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that "the Middle East is on the brink of the abyss, and the past few days have witnessed a dangerous escalation, both in words and in deeds."
"Any miscalculation, bad communication or lapse could lead to the unimaginable, to a broad regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved," Guterres said, calling for "maximum restraint."
According to AFP, a UN member state accepts a resolution passed by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority, but only after a positive recommendation to that effect from the Security Council.
The recommendation is made by the Security Council by a resolution that must be approved by at least 9 of the council's 15 members, provided that no permanent member state vetoes it.
According to the Palestinian Authority, 137 of the 193 UN member states have to date recognized the State of Palestine.
Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, noted that Washington showed its true position towards the Palestinians after voting in the UN Security Council against their country's admission to the United Nations.
Nebenzia said during a UN Security Council session: "By vetoing for the fifth time since the beginning of the escalation of the situation in Gaza, they have once again demonstrated their true attitude towards the Palestinians."
Nebenzia pointed out that it was a question of whether the Palestinians deserved to be part of the global family and to participate in decisions in international life.
"For the United States, Palestine does not deserve to have its own state, it is just an obstacle to the achievement of Israeli interests."
In the context, the United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, told Al Jazeera that the United States is hijacking the UN Security Council by using its veto power 3 times and its unequivocal support for Israel.
She stressed that the United States is an integral part of what Israel is doing in Gaza, not only because of its military support, not only because it does not prevent Israel from doing what it does, but also because it hijacks the Security Council, disrupts it by using its veto, and therefore bears full responsibility for the criminal acts carried out by Israel.
She pointed out that the reason for the existence of the Security Council existed at the United Nations was to ensure the achievement of peace and stability in the world, and it was the same reason for which other institutions such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court had been established.
She stressed that we cannot allow Israel to continue to carry out massacres against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as it is clear that Israel's intention is to displace Palestinians from the Strip.