Security Council to vote on full Palestinian UN membership Friday; US expected to veto

Diplomats say the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote Friday on a Palestinian request for full UN membership, a move that Israel’s ally the United States is expected to block because it would effectively recognize a Palestinian state.

The 15-member council is due to vote at 3 p.m. Friday on a draft resolution that recommends to the 193-member UN General Assembly that “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations,” said diplomats.

A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the US, Britain, France, Russia or China to pass. Diplomats say the measure could have the support of up to 13 council members, which would force the US to use its veto.

A senior diplomat for a country on the Security Council tells The Times of Israel that the US is expected to veto the resolution if the vote goes ahead.

The Biden administration maintains that Palestinian statehood would be better advanced through direct negotiations between the parties, rather than unilateral declarations at the UN, which wouldn’t have a practical impact on the ground.

Moreover, the US notes that it is currently in the midst of efforts to advance the cause as part of its diplomatic engagements aimed at bringing an end to the Gaza war and brokering a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.