Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia express disappointment over UN failure to admit Palestine's membership

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia have expressed disappointment over the UN Security Council's failure to admit Palestine's full membership at the United Nations.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Islamabad is "deeply disappointed" at the result of Thursday’s debate at the Council and its inability to reach a consensus and recommend Palestine’s membership of the UN to the General Assembly.

"We regret the U.S. decision to veto the draft resolution granting full membership of the UN to Palestine," she told reporters in Islamabad.

She added that the time has come for admission of the Palestine to the UN.

"This will be a step towards correcting the historic injustice suffered by the Palestinian people for over 75 years. It will affirm their right to self-determination. The people of Palestine have an inherent right to live in a sovereign, independent and contiguous Palestinian State within the 4 June 1967 borders and with Al-Quds Al-Shareef as its capital," she said.

Indonesia also expressed "deep regrets" over the failure of council to adopt a resolution on the full UN membership of Palestine, due to a veto casted by the US.

"Progress towards Palestine's full membership at the UN has been stalled since obtaining an observer status in 2012, despite an overwhelming support by the majority of UN member states.This veto once again betrayed the shared aspiration to build lasting peace in the Middle East," said the Foreign Ministry on X.

Malaysia also expressed deep concerns over the US action to veto Palestinian resolution in the council.

"The exercise of a veto on this crucial matter has called into question the genuine desire on the part of the council member exercising it to realise the inalienable rights of the Palestinians, including their right to self-determination from the decades of the Israel's illegal and belligerent occupation of the Palestinian Territory of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem since 1947," said the Foreign Ministry in statement, posted on X.

The resolution was blocked with a vote of 12 in favor and two abstentions, including the UK and Switzerland.