TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep regrets about another failure of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to adopt a resolution on the full UN membership of the State of Palestine, due to a veto cast by one of its permanent members.

On its social media X, the ministry highlighted the veto as an obstacle to the progress towards Palestine's UN membership. “This veto once again betrayed the shared aspiration to build lasting peace in the Middle East,” read the ministry’s post on Friday, April 19, 2024, without mentioning which country casting the veto.

The United States on April 18 vetoed the council resolution recommending the recognition of Palestine as a state through the UN membership. Britain and Switzerland abstained, while the other 12 members of the UN Security Council voted in favor.

According to Reuters, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood informed the council that Washington remains in favor of a two-state solution and that the vote did not represent opposition to Palestinian statehood.

Palestine began its quest for full UN membership six months after the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Israel continued to build settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the United Nations regards as illegal.

The U.N. General Assembly recognized Palestinian statehood de facto in 2012, and as of right now, they are a non-member observer state. However, approval of the Security Council and then a minimum of two-thirds of the General Assembly are prerequisites for becoming a full UN member.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the U.S. veto in a statement as "unfair, unethical, and unjustified". However, Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the failure of the resolution would not stop the effort to get international recognition.

Indonesia has reiterated its support for Palestine's UN membership. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued that international recognition would give Palestine a deserved seat among nations and equal standing in the peace process towards a two-state solution.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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