Onus on US to stop Gaza conflict and grant Palestine full UN membership

The United Nations General Assembly voted by a wide margin on Friday to grant new "rights and privileges" to Palestine and called on the UN Security Council to reconsider Palestine's request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.

The world body approved the Arab and Palestinian-sponsored resolution by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions. It is Israel's relentless military offensive in Gaza since Oct 7 that has prompted more UN members to join the pro-Palestine group. A UN General Assembly resolution on Oct 27 calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza was approved 120-14 with 45 abstentions.

Although the US can still veto Palestine's UN membership in the UN Security Council voting on the issue as it did on April 18, the result of the latest UN General Assembly vote reflects a wider support for full membership of Palestine in the UN, which means a greater pressure on Washington to act against the will of the world.

US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said on Friday that for the US to support Palestinian statehood, direct negotiations must guarantee Israel's security and future as a democratic Jewish state and that Palestinians can live in peace in a state of their own.

But by saying that the US side just pretends to be blind to the fact that it is the Israeli side that has been recklessly killing the Palestinian people on their land. And even if the Hamas Oct 7 attack is taken into account, what the Israel has done in the region since the World War II must also be borne in mind as well, which clearly shows the right and wrong regarding the Palestinian question.

The world can see clearly that the statehood of Israel has not only been fully guaranteed but also the country has prospered. In the process, it has continuously expanded its influences to the Palestinian side beyond the 1967 borders, and even invaded neighboring countries, including Syria and Lebanon.

Over the years, Israel, as the occupying power, has technically eroded the foundation of the two-state solution. The current conflict, which has lasted for more than seven months, is more likely to completely ruin the prospects of the two-state solution agreed by the international community.

So it is not the security or future of Israeli people that has become a question of grave concern, but that of the Palestinians, whose survival in Gaza has even become a question today thanks to Israel's aggression indulged and supported by Washington, not to mention the overdue statehood of their country.

That Israel intensified its attack on Rafah on Saturday, under the US' acquiescence, in response to the UN General Assembly the Palestine-related vote the previous day, presents a grave provocation to the common will of the international community, and also serves to put an end to its peace talks with Hamas in Cairo that has lasted for days, in which Hamas had made big concessions for a ceasefire.

Israel should stop its collective punishment of the Gaza people, stop advancing its military offensive in Rafah, and effectively remove all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza. In the West Bank, Israel should stop all settlement activities and effectively curb the intensifying settler violence.

Palestine should enjoy the same status as Israel, and the Palestinian people should enjoy the same rights as the Israeli people. It is the common responsibility of the international community, including the US, to support and promote the process of Palestinian independent statehood and provide a strong guarantee for the implementation of the two-state solution and the realization of lasting peace in the Middle East.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the US should put aside its own interests and work for world peace and humanity, undertaking its global responsibility. The UN Security Council is a platform to resolve issues and not create divisions or hijack the global peace agenda for one's own narrow ends by abusing its veto power.