In a highly anticipated vote at the United Nations Security Council, the United States exercised its veto power to reject the Palestinian bid for full UN membership. The move came as no surprise, as Washington has consistently opposed such efforts, emphasizing the need for a political settlement with Israel.

Out of the 15 members of the Security Council, 12 voted in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state, including countries such as Japan, South Korea, France, and Slovenia, which currently do not officially recognize Palestine. The United Kingdom and Switzerland abstained from the Algeria-drafted resolution.

Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, addressed the Security Council, reiterating Washington's position that premature actions in New York would not achieve statehood for the Palestinians. Wood pointed out the committee's failure to reach a consensus on the issue and questioned whether the Palestinians meet the necessary criteria for UN statehood, including concerns over Hamas' influence in Gaza.

The vote marks the first time since 1976, when the US vetoed Vietnam's membership, that the Security Council has rejected a membership application. It is worth noting that under US law, full UN membership for Palestine without a political settlement with Israel would automatically terminate US funding for the United Nations.

In response to the US veto, Russia's UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, criticized Washington's stance, stating that they believe the Palestinians do not deserve their own state and only impede Israel's interests.

The UK's representative to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, explained their abstention, emphasizing the importance of securing an immediate pause to provide aid and facilitate hostage release, and progress towards a sustainable ceasefire without further destruction.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, condemned the Security Council for even considering Palestinian statehood. Erdan described Hamas as child-murdering rapists and expressed concern over the presence of Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, at the ministerial-level session. Erdan accused Iran of launching attacks against Israel just days before the UN meeting, suggesting the Iranian official's presence aimed to undermine the importance of human rights and international law.

Amir-Abdollahian, for his part, warned of a "decisive and proper response" if there was any retaliation for Iran's recent attack on Israel and vowed that Israel would "regret its actions."

While reports suggest that Israel carried out an attack on Iran, the Jewish state had not confirmed these reports at the time of publication.

The Security Council vote highlighted the deep divisions surrounding the recognition of Palestinian statehood and underscored the challenges faced in achieving a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.