US vetoes UN move on Palestinian statehood

The United States on Thursday used its veto power to block a United Nations Security Council resolution on granting statehood to Palestine.

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In the vote 12-1, the one being the US veto and two abstentions, the UNSC did not adopt a draft resolution that would have recommended the General Assembly to hold a vote with the broader UN membership to allow Palestine to join as a full UN Member State.

For a draft resolution to pass, the UNSC must have at least nine members in favour and none of its permanent members--China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US--using their veto power.

Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Palestine on April 2, submitted a request to UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres, asking that a 2011 request to become a UN Member State be reconsidered, according to the UN statement.

In a statement after the vote at the UN, US Deputy Permanent Representative to United Nations, Robert Wood, said that the vote does not demonstrate opposition to Palestinian statehood. However, US believes that statehood can only be granted through direct negotiations between the parties.