The U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution on full membership of Palestine in the global body on Thursday.
The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favor, the United States opposed and two abstentions.
The resolution would have recommended that the 193-member General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, approve Palestine becoming the 194th member of the United Nations. Some 140 countries have already recognized the state of Palestine, so its admission would have been approved.
Before the voting, Algeria's envoy to the U.N. Amar Bendjama said it is time for Palestine to take its rightful place among the community of nations, and seeking UN membership is a fundamental expression of Palestinian self-determination.
"Today, the call of history resounds once again. And it is my honor to put before the council the recommendation to admit the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations.
"It is a critical step towards rectifying a longstanding injustice," Bendjama said, urging every member to support the resolution.
Palestine was accepted as an observer state of the U.N. General Assembly in 2012, allowing its envoy to participate in debates and U.N. organizations but without a vote.
States are admitted to membership in the U.N. by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council, according to the U.N. Charter.
A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members – U.S., Britain, France, Russia or China – to pass.
Palestine's application for full U.N. membership comes amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which has killed nearly 34,000 Palestinians.
