US Vetoes Widely Supported UN Resolution Backing Full UN Membership For Palestine

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood votes against resolution during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States has vetoed a widely backed U.N. resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine.

The resolution voted on Thursday afternoon would have raised the Palestinians’ status from a non-member observer state to full membership.

U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the council the U.S. veto “does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties.”

This is the second Palestinian attempt for full membership and it comes as the war in Gaza has put the more than 75-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict at center stage.