The UN Security Council on Thursday rejected the Palestinians' request to become a full member state of the United Nations. The United States vetoed this request.
The admission of a State to the UN must first receive a positive recommendation from the Council, that is to say, at least 9 votes out of 15 in favor, without a veto from a permanent member. The Palestinians finally obtained “non-member observer state” status in November 2012. They relaunched their request for full membership in early April, highlighting the Israeli offensive in Gaza. They believe that the UN is not the place for the recognition of a Palestinian state, which according to them should result from an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. According to the Palestinian Authority's count, 137 of the 193 UN member states unilaterally recognize a Palestinian State. The draft resolution, prepared by Algeria, requested "the General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted as a member of the U.N.'s Security Council." The vote coincided with a meeting planned for several weeks of the UN's "admissions committee."