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US Vetoes Resolution to Grant Palestine Full UN Membership. On April 18, the United States vetoed a United Nations resolution that would have allowed Palestine to become a full United Nations member. Associated Press reports that the widely-supported resolution was backed by 12 of 15 Security Council members. The United Kingdom and Switzerland both abstained from the vote, while the U.S. opposed the measure. AP reports that Palestine's broad support reflects the growing international concern for Palestinians facing a humanitarian crisis amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The resolution would have made Palestine the 194th member of the United Nations. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood stressed to the Security Council that the U.S. veto of the resolution “does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties.”. Similarly, deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said that the U.S. has “been very clear consistently that premature actions in New York — even with the best intentions — will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people.”. In response to the failed vote, Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the council that the decision would not deter the Palestinian people. "The fact that this resolution did not pass will not break our will and it will not defeat our determination.", Riyad Mansour, Palestinian U.N. Ambassador, via Associated Press. "We will not stop in our effort. The state of Palestine is inevitable. It is real. Perhaps they see it as far away, but we see it as near.", Riyad Mansour, Palestinian U.N. Ambassador, via Associated Press. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT