New York, US, 19 April 2024
The United States on Thursday vetoed a majority UN Security Council members humanitarian resolution that would have recognized a Palestinian state.
Twelve members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution; two countries – UK and Switzerland abstained, The United States of America vetoed it.
12 countries – Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Russia, South Korea, Mozambique, Malta, Japan, Guyana, France, Ecuador, China and Algeria voted in favor of the resolution.
Mahmoud Abbas, President, Palestinian Authority criticized the US veto as ‘unfair, immoral, and unjustified, and defies the will of the international community, which strongly supports the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations’.
Pakistan on Friday expressed its disappointment on the United Nations Security Council’s inability to reach a consensus on Palestine’s full membership of the United Nations, also regretting the US decision to veto the draft resolution.
Official News Agency, Associated Press of Pakistan reported today on Friday that ‘Pakistan is deeply disappointed by the result of last night’s debate at UNSC and its inability to reach a consensus and recommend Palestine’s membership to UNGA. We regret the US decision to veto the draft resolution granting full membership of the UN to Palestine,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her weekly press briefing.
Anadolu News Agenci of Turkiye reported that Saudi Arabia expressed regret Friday on the failure of the UN Security Council to pass a draft resolution accepting Palestine’s full United Nations membership.
“Obstructing Palestine’s full UN membership contributes to perpetuating the intransigence of the Israeli occupation, encourages it to continue its violations of international law without deterrence and won’t achieve the desired peace,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry renewed its call for the international community to fulfill its responsibility to halt Israel’s attacks on civilians in Gaza, support Palestinians’ right to self-determination, and establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Norway said on Thursday that it “regrets” that the UN Security Council disagreement on Palestine’s full membership to the UN.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide wrote on X that his country would have voted in favor of Palestine, following the vote on a resolution on full UN membership of Palestine, which saw the US veto.
“Norway regrets that the Security Council did not agree on admitting Palestine as a full member of the UN,” Eide wrote.
“We would have voted in favour. Norway is a staunch supporter of Palestine’s right to statehood.”
Eide added that the two-state solution is “the only way to durable peace” between Israel and Palestine.
The U.S. has vetoed 45 times earlier UN Security Council resolutions critical of Israel as of 18 December 2023 according to an analysis by Blue Marble.
The U.S. has vetoed 89 Security Council resolutions (excluding the latest) in total since 1945, slightly over half of its vetoes in favour of Israel against Palestinians – 33 pertained to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
U.S. used first time its veto on a UNSC resolution (S/PV 1534) on 17 March 1970 along with UK regarding Southern Rhodesia. Second veto in September 1972 that called on Israel to cease its aggression in Lebanon, first ever in favour of Israel. Since then the U.S. used 46 times till date its veto to halt resolutions critical of Israel.
Between 1982 and 1990, the U.S. used its veto in support of Israel 21 times – the vetoed resolutions criticized Israel’s aggression in Lebanon and its occupation of Palestinian territories.
Since 2001, the U.S. has used its veto in support of Israel 15 times.
Russia (formerly USSR) has used 109 times it’s Veto power, first ever veto used in UNSC was by USSR on 16 February 1946 against resolution SPV on withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon and Syria.
Until 1972, permanent members of Security Council used their VETO power sparingly. UK used 5 times; France 4 times; China and US used one time each; Russia then Soviet Union used VETO 109 times between 1946-1971, an average of four times per year.
VETO power was offered to the five permanent members when the U.N. and Security Council were created in 1945 in the aftermath of World War II – the only way then to attract these countries to join the United Nations.
UN Security Council has 10 rotating members, which are elected by the General Assembly for 2-Year terms. Among present rotating members are Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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