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The United States used its veto on Thursday at the United Nations (UN) Security Council to block a Palestinian state from being declared unilaterally.
American policy has held for decades that a Palestinian state should emerge after negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Still, the Biden administration played coy until the last hours before the UN Security Council vote, with the White House dodging questions about a potential veto until the State Department announced the U.S. position earlier on Thursday.
In an explanation of the U.S. vote, Ambassador Robert Wood said:
The United States has worked vigorously and with determination to support Palestinian statehood in the context of a comprehensive peace agreement that would permanently resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since the attacks of October 7, President Biden has been clear that sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved through a two-state solution, with Israel’s security guaranteed. There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and future as a democratic Jewish state.
There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live in peace and with dignity in a state of their own. And there is no other path that leads to regional integration between Israel and all its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.
We also have long been clear that premature actions here in New York, even with the best intentions, will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people.
As members of the Security Council, we have a special responsibility to ensure that our actions further the cause of international peace and security and are consistent with the requirements of the UN Charter.
As reflected in the report of the Admission Committee, there was not unanimity among Committee Members as to whether the applicant met the criteria for membership as set forth in Article 4 of the UN Charter.
For example, there are unresolved questions as to whether the applicant meets the criteria to be considered a State.
We have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas – a terrorist organization – is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution.
For these reasons, the United States voted “no” on this Security Council resolution.
The U.S. tried to portray a Palestinian state as something that “Hamas and its Iranian backers” would oppose, though Hamas denounced the U.S. veto.
Israel welcomed the veto. The Israeli government had argued against Palestinian statehood, either at the UN or outside of it, arguing that recognizing a Palestinian state in the present context would reward Hamas for terror.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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