US Vetoes UN Bid to Make Palestine a Full Member of World Body
- France, Japan and South Korea were among backers of membership
- Rejection by US is an olive branch to Israel amid tensions
Robert Wood votes against a resolution allowing Palestinian UN membership at United Nations headquarters in New York on April 18.
Photographer: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The US vetoed a bid to make Palestine a full-fledged member of the United Nations, rebuffing a Palestinian push to gain broader international recognition.
Twelve of 15 Security Council members voted in favor of the proposal on Thursday, while the UK and Switzerland abstained. Although the Palestinian Authority received enough support to have its bid referred to the General Assembly for confirmation, the negative vote from the US — which wields veto power — was enough to block it.