US Ambassador to UN Skeptical About Bid for Palestinian Statehood
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed skepticism on Wednesday regarding the effectiveness of a UN resolution in advancing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking at a news conference in Seoul, Thomas-Greenfield responded to questions about the US position on the Palestinian Authority’s request for full UN membership.
“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,” Thomas-Greenfield stated. She reiterated President Joe Biden’s support for a two-state solution and highlighted ongoing efforts to achieve this goal.
The Palestinian Authority is expected to urge the 15-member Security Council to vote as early as Thursday on a draft resolution that would recommend full membership in the UN. The draft was circulated by Algeria, a Security Council member, late Tuesday.
However, a UN Security Council committee tasked with considering the application was unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether the Palestinian Authority met the criteria for membership, according to a committee report. Approval by the Security Council, where the US holds veto power, is necessary before the General Assembly can consider it. The resolution would require a two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly to pass.
Little progress has been made toward Palestinian statehood since the Oslo Accords were signed in the early 1990s. Challenges such as expanding Israeli settlements have been significant hurdles. Israel’s UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan, has stated that the Palestinian Authority does not meet the necessary criteria for statehood. The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, maintains limited self-rule in the West Bank, whereas Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.
