UPDATE - US will vote 'No' to Palestinian bid for full UN membership: State Department

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By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said Thursday it will vote “NO” on a UN Security Council resolution granting the observer state of Palestine full membership at the UN.

“It remains the US view that the most expeditious path toward statehood is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with the support of the US and other partners,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

“The United States is voting no on this proposed Security Council resolution,” Patel said before a Security Council vote on a draft resolution presented by Algeria.

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“We believe this approach can tangibly advance Palestinian goals in a meaningful and enduring way,” Patel said.

“We also have been very clear consistently that premature actions in New York even with the best intentions will not achieve a statehood for the Palestinian people,” he added.

Patel said there was not unanimity among the committee members as to whether the applicant met the criteria of membership set in Article 4 of the UN Charter.

“Specifically, there are unresolved questions as to whether they meet criteria to be considered as a state,” Patel said.

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Noting that the US long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake “necessary reforms”, he added Hamas is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza.

Palestine was accepted as an observer state of the UN General Assembly in 2012, allowing its envoy to participate in debates and UN organizations but without a vote.

States are admitted to membership in the UN by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council, according to the UN Charter.

The Security Council requires nine votes to pass a resolution of the 15-member group with a condition that none of the five permanent members -- US, UK, France, Russia and China -- votes against it.

The Palestinian application for full UN membership comes amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 33,900 victims since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which claimed less than 1,200 lives.