The United States plans to use its power to reject a Palestinian attempt to become a member state of the United Nations in a vote at the Security Council on Thursday.
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, said the Palestinian Authority's attempt to gain U.N. membership is happening too soon.
He explained that there is not a unanimous agreement among the 15 Security Council members regarding the Palestinian Authority meeting the membership criteria. There are unresolved issues about governing the Gaza Strip, where Israel is engaged in a conflict to defeat and remove the ruling power, Hamas.
“As a result, the United States will vote against this Security Council resolution,” Patel stated.
The Palestinian Authority is seeking recognition as a state at the U.N. to establish its leadership amid Israel's conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and increasing tensions in the West Bank, with escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
The U.S. is developing a plan to “reinvigorate” and “reorganize” the Palestinian Authority and prepare it to govern the Gaza Strip. This is part of a broader initiative to involve Gulf and Arab partners in stabilizing Gaza after Israel's conflict and forming open relationships with Israel.
“We believe that actions in New York, even with the best of intentions, are not the most appropriate course,” Patel commented.
“We continue to believe that the most efficient path to statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with the assistance of the United States and other partners who share this objective.”
