The United States made it clear that it will vote against any resolution that would grant the Palestinians full membership in the United Nations. The U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. stated that they support Palestinian statehood through direct negotiations between the parties, rather than through unilateral measures. The vote, brought to the floor by the United Arab Emirates, received support from 143 member states, with nine voting against and 25 abstaining. The U.S. Mission to the U.N. emphasized that a negotiated two-state solution is the best path towards peace in the region.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. accused members supporting the resolution of “shredding the U.N. charter” and shredded a small paper with the words “Charter of the United Nations” written on it as a symbolic protest. Anne Bayefsky of the Touro University Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices warned that supporting the resolution could lead to a Palestinian leader at the helm of the United Nations without an agreement to live in peace with Israel. Several member states condemned Hamas terrorist attacks but felt that Israel’s response in Gaza had gone too far.
The U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. stressed that the resolution passed by the General Assembly does not alter the status of the Palestinians at the United Nations and labeled it as unproductive. The U.S. has indicated that it will not cut funding to the United Nations or specialized agencies, which it would have had to do under Public Law 101-246. President Obama cut funding to UNICEF after the organization admitted the Palestinians as members during his administration. Retired U.S. General expressed surprise at President Biden’s hold on weapons shipment to Israel, calling it a “turning point.”
Prior to the vote, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. accused members supporting the resolution of ignoring the core requirement in the U.N. charter of being a “peace-loving state.” Israel prepared for a ground invasion after ceasefire talks with Hamas fell apart. Several member states, including France and Singapore, indicated their support for the admission of Palestinians as members of the U.N. but raised concerns about attempts to bypass the traditional membership process. The U.N. General Assembly’s actions have sparked both support and criticism regarding the impact on peace efforts in the region and the role of the U.N. in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
