On Thursday, the United States used its veto to block a Security Council resolution that could have led to "the State of Palestine" being admitted as a full member of the United Nations.
"This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties," Deputy U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood said of the decision, affirming the longstanding State Department position that Palestinian statehood can only come after a peace agreement with Israel.
There was no prior objection to the proposal by the committee’s members, except for Switzerland and the United Kingdom, which abstained from the motion.
Israel’s U.N. representative, Gilad Erdan, told the countries that voted for the recommendation that "it's very sad because your vote will only embolden Palestinian rejectionism even more and make peace almost impossible."
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, thanked the U.S. for blocking the measure.
Had the endorsement passed, it would have been sent to the General Assembly for final consideration.
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