Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday blasted the US after it vetoed a UN Security Council resolution which would have accepted the PA as a full member state, The Associated Press reported.
Abbas condemned the US veto as "unfair, unethical, and unjustified," saying in a statement that it challenged "the will of the international community, which strongly supports Palestine's full membership."
The PA’s UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, told the council after the vote, "The fact that this resolution did not pass will not break our will and it will not defeat our determination. We will not stop in our effort."
12 countries voted in favor of Thursday’s resolution: Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Russia, South Korea, Mozambique, Malta, Japan, Guyana, France, Ecuador, China, and Algeria.
Two countries abstained – Britain and Switzerland.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said following the vote, “The proposal to recognize a Palestinian state, more than 6 months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and after the sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists was a reward for terrorism.”
“I commend the United States for vetoing this shameful proposal, which was rejected today at the UN Security Council. It is outrageous that even half a year after the October 7 massacre, the UN Security Council failed to condemn Hamas horrific crimes,” Katz said.
“Terrorism will not be rewarded. Israel will continue to fight until Hamas is destroyed and all 133 hostages in Gaza are released,” he concluded.
The US had announced even before the vote that it opposes the measure and would exercise its veto power against it.
The PA, which was accepted as a non-member observer state in the UN in 2012, recently revived its UN membership application, prompting the Security Council to launch a formal review process.
The Security Council committee considering the application said on Tuesday it "was unable to make a unanimous recommendation" on whether the PA met the criteria. The PA nevertheless moved forward with Thursday’s vote.