April 17, 2024 (EIRNS)—On Friday April 19, the 15 members of the UN Security Council will vote at 3:00 p.m. EDT on a draft resolution put forward by Algeria that recommends to the 193-member UN General Assembly that “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations.” The resolution will need at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by any of the five permanent Council members, in order to be forwarded to the General Assembly. The U.S., Israel’s staunch ally, has already made known that it intends to veto the resolution should it receive the requisite number of affirmative votes, as this would otherwise constitute recognition of a Palestinian state, Reuters reported. Diplomats estimate the measure could garner support of up to 13 Council members—triggering a U.S. veto.
The U.S. argues, with predictable sophistry, that passage of a Security Council resolution is not the appropriate way to establish an independent Palestinian state. This should rather be done through direct negotiations between the parties. U.S. UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said today that “we do not see that doing a resolution in the Security Council will necessarily get us to a place where we can find … a two-state solution moving forward.” Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan condemned the proposed vote, Israel’s i24 News reported. “Investing time in promoting the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state at this juncture constitutes a huge reward for terrorism,” he charged.
