US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated on Wednesday that she does not see how a UN resolution recommending full membership for the Palestinian Authority would contribute to achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Thomas-Greenfield made these remarks during a press conference in Seoul when asked if the US was prepared to endorse the Palestinian Authority's request for full UN membership.
She stated, "We do not see that passing a resolution in the Security Council will necessarily bring us to a stage where we can find that a two-state solution is advancing." She added that US President Joe Biden has firmly stated that Washington supports the two-state solution and works toward achieving it as soon as possible.
Diplomats have indicated that the Palestinian Authority is expected to urge the 15-member Security Council to vote as early as tomorrow, Thursday, on a resolution recommending it become a full member of the international organization. Algeria, a member of the Security Council, distributed a draft text late Tuesday evening.
A report from a Security Council committee reviewing the request noted that it "was unable to provide a unanimous recommendation" on whether the request met the criteria. Gaining full membership in the UN requires approval from the Security Council, where the US, an ally of Israel, can block it using its veto power, followed by approval from at least two-thirds of the 193-member General Assembly.
There has been little progress toward establishing a Palestinian state since the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the early 1990s. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan stated that the Palestinian Authority has not met the required criteria to establish a state.
