9 Countries that Reject Palestine's Bid for Full UN Membership

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The UN General Assembly passed a resolution to grant expanded "rights and privileges" to Palestine through a vote on Friday, May 10, 2024. The vote also prompted the Security Council to reconsider recognizing Palestine as the 194th UN member.

A total of 143 countries supported the resolution, nine countries opposed it, and 25 countries abstained.

The nine countries that rejected Palestine‘s bid to join the UN are Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, the United States, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, and Palau. The following are the reasons these 9 countries rejected the resolution.

1. United States

Citing the official website of the United Nations or UN, the representative of the United States said that sustainable peace in the region can be achieved only through a two-state solution, with Israel’s security guaranteed, where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in freedom and dignity.

“Unilateral measures at the UN and on the ground will not advance this goal,” said the representative of the United States, quoted from press.un.org.

Therefore, according to the Representative of the United States, their vote did not reflect “opposition to Palestinian Statehood.”. However, it is instead an acknowledgment that statehood will only be achieved through a process involving direct negotiations between the parties.

2. Hungary

According to press.un.org, the representative of Hungary stated that their rejection stemmed from the wish to preserve legal clarity and diligent processes within the UN regarding both admission and participation in the Assembly’s work. According to her, the existing resolution is not conducive to de-escalating the situation and finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Middle East.

3. Papua New Guinea

The representative of Papua New Guinea expressed his concern regarding the serious peace and security challenges faced by Palestine and Israel. He stated that he rejected the resolution because it did not provide a long-term solution.

"Any right and privileges to be granted to parties seeking UN membership and their obligations arising from such undertaking must be accorded in a manner that is fully compliant with the Charter of the United Nations," said the representative of Papua New Guinea, quoted from press.un.org.

4. Israel

Israel's representative stated that this vote would open the doors of the UN to the “terrorists-supporting Palestinian Authority” which “does not even have control over its own territory”.

“Even though Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated this week, this shameless body has chosen to reward modern-day Nazis with rights and privileges,” said the Israeli representative, quoted by press.un.org.

Furthermore, according to Israel's representative, the General Assembly vote bypasses the Security Council and violates the UN Charter.

5. Argentina

The National News reported that Argentina has historically had strong relations with Israel and Arab countries. Argentina itself recognized Palestine in 2010 as a “free and independent” country “within the borders existing in 1967.”

New President Javier Milei visited Israel in February and promised to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem. This represents a significant change in Buenos Aires' foreign policy, after years of supporting Arab countries.

Milei has also announced that his government will declare Hamas a proscribed terrorist group.

6. Micronesia, Palau, and Nauru

According to thenationalnews.com, Micronesia, Nauru, and Palau are small island countries in the Pacific and historically aligned their votes closely with the United States. In 2010, for example, Micronesia voted in favor of the US 47 times and diverged only three times. Palau aligned its vote with the US about 96.5 percent of the time.

Richard Gowan, UN director for the International Crisis Group, indicated that some US allies may not support the resolution. “I do think the prolonged war in Gaza has shifted the overall mood in the UN about the need to get to a two-state solution,” he told The National News.

7. Czech Republic

Citing the same page, the Czech Republic has historically been more pro-Israel and pro-US. The representative of the Czech Republic, Jakub Kulhanek said that UN membership would not bring peace and prosperity to the Palestinian people. He also added that this could only be done at the negotiating table. “All parties need to make difficult political decisions and compromises. That's what we should all strive for,” he said, quoted by The National News.

He also encouraged both Palestine and Israel to embark on a path of cooperation including through the Abraham Accords to “foster a better future for the Middle East.”

MICHELLE GABRIELA

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