Palestinian UN envoy: US 'holding us hostage' ahead of membership vote
The UN Security Council will vote Thursday on full Palestinian membership in the United Nations, and though it appears likely to have the votes, the United States has signaled that it could use its veto to block the measure.
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As the Israel-Iran conflict takes center stage this week, Palestinian diplomats are pushing a vote on full Palestinian membership in the United Nations. Palestinian UN envoy Riyadh Mansour told Al-Monitor he is “confident” that a vote on Palestinian statehood, expected on Thursday, will get the necessary votes to pass, but added that the United States is threatening to veto the measure.
Mansour recently returned from a trip to Algeria alongside Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa for meetings with top Algerian decision-makers, including the president and prime minister. In addition to discussing the dire situation in Gaza and preventing an Israeli ground invasion in Rafah, the agenda there included efforts to achieve recognition of Palestine as a UN member state. The prime minister thanked Algeria, which currently holds a seat on the UN Security Council, for its support for Palestine’s bid and for “mobilizing support” for it, according to the Wafa news agency.
The last time the Palestinian delegation tried to pass such a resolution more than a decade ago it was unable to collect the minimum of nine votes needed to move the vote to the General Assembly. Now the delegation feels confident of reaching that number and wants to force the permanent member states to declare their positions. The Biden administration says it continues to support a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution.
Mansour told Al-Monitor that Algeria is doing a lot to help the Palestinian cause at the Security Council and in funding the Palestinian Authority.
