US confirms it will block Palestinian effort to obtain full member status at UN

WASHINGTON — US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel confirms that Washington will veto the UN Security Council resolution being brought to a vote later today aimed at granting the Palestinian request for full member status in the international body.

Patel says during a press briefing that there wasn’t unanimity among committee members as to whether the Palestinians had met the criteria necessary to be defined as a state.

Moreover, the State Department spokesperson says the Palestinian Authority needs to undergo significant reforms before it can assume statehood responsibilities.

The Biden administration has long opposed Palestinian efforts to unilaterally secure statehood status at the UN, arguing that the goal should be achieved via direct negotiations with Israel.

More recently, US officials have noted that such efforts at the UN harm efforts it is actively pursuing to achieve a two state solution through a broader regional initiative that would start with a hostage deal, following by a permanent end to the war, Arab involvement in the rebuilding of Gaza with assistance from a reformed PA, a Saudi normalization with Israel and a bolstered Mideast front against Iran.