A White House spokesman on Friday defended the United States’ decision to oppose a U.N. resolution declaring support for Palestinian statehood, saying such measures should be negotiated in the Middle East.
The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution declaring the Palestinians eligible for full U.N. membership, with the United States one of the few countries insisting on a boycott. The vote was widely seen as a rebuke to Israel and the United States as global anger grows over Israel’s war with Hamas.
White House national security spokesman John F. Kirby said President Biden remains “fully and firmly committed” to establishing a Palestinian state, but that U.N. resolutions are not the path to such a state.
“We continue to believe in the two-state solution and the strength and commitment of an independent state for the Palestinian people,” Kirby told reporters. “We also believe that the best way to do this is through direct negotiations with the parties, rather than through such a vote at the United Nations.”
Friday’s vote comes as ties between the United States and Israel, Israel’s closest ally in the Middle East, are being tested by the war in Gaza. More than 34,000 people have died in Gaza, including combatants and civilians, and the head of the World Food Program said parts of the strip were experiencing “full-blown famine”.
The United States is Israel’s largest arms supplier, and Biden hopes to use that leverage to get Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon his long-standing threat to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, home to more than a million Palestinians. .
Biden has halted bomb shipments to Israel and said he would also withhold artillery if Israel makes advances in Rafah. But Israel insists they need to enter Rafah to completely destroy Hamas, which killed 1,200 people in a terror attack on Israel on 7 October.
The U.N. resolution does not establish a Palestinian state but recognizes Palestine’s eligibility for full U.N. membership. Its membership requires approval from the United Nations Security Council, which includes the United States.
The United States has repeatedly exercised its veto power in the Security Council to block UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The United Nations General Assembly considered Friday’s resolution that would have recognized full membership of the Palestinian state, which is considered a “non-member observer state”, after the United States vetoed a resolution submitted to the Security Council in April.
The resolution passed on Friday will give Palestine new privileges, such as sitting among member states in alphabetical order, speaking at meetings on any subject rather than just Palestinian affairs, and submitting proposals and amendments.
The resolution was drafted by the United Arab Emirates, the current chair of the United Nations Arab Group, and received sponsors from 70 countries. It declared that, in accordance with the rules of its Charter, “the State of Palestine is eligible for membership in the United Nations” and recommended that the Security Council reconsider the matter and achieve a favorable outcome.
The resolution was passed with applause from the audience.
Farnaz Fasihi Contributed reporting.
