Palestine’s ambassador to Malta has said he appreciates the country putting Palestine on the agenda at the United Nations, despite the United States vetoing its request to become a member.
On Thursday, the US shot down a draft resolution recommending full Palestinian membership in a Malta-chaired Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York.
The vote was preceded by a tense debate presided over by Malta, in which Israel’s ambassador warned that granting the Palestinians UN membership would be a reward to terrorists and render the UN “a haven for dictatorships and terrorists”.
The Palestinian ambassador said it would be a major step towards peace and justice.
Approval at the Security Council would have been the first of two steps needed for Palestine to become a full UN member. Aside from Security Council approval, applicants for full membership must also obtain a two-thirds majority of votes at the UN General Assembly.
Palestine is currently classified as a non-member observer state at the UN. It first sought to be recognised as a full UN member in 2011.
Reacting to Thursday’s vote, Palestine’s ambassador to Malta Fadi Hanania said his people were “devastated” by the move but thanked Malta for its efforts at the UN.
“Almost all the Security Council voted in favour of the resolution the US vetoed... for us it was a complete failure of the international community,” he said, calling the US veto “unethical, unfair and unjust.”
Hanania said he appreciated Malta's efforts to put the Palestinian membership issue on the Security Council agenda.
“Historically, Malta has stood for justice in the Middle East,” he said, noting Malta had already signified its support for Palestine’s right to statehood.
Hanania stressed that despite the vote, the Palestinians would continue to work towards becoming a recognised member of the international community.
"Although the vote failed, it’s not the end of the road; it keeps us motivated to keep pushing forward.”
The ambassador said the US veto conflicted with its claims that it supports a two-state solution – something the superpower said on Thursday it still supported but could only be possible through direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.
“Our people are fed up with international organisations... they were hoping for this and are devastated. Those in Gaza and the West Bank feel like abandoning hope," Hanania said.