UNSC split over Palestinian statehood bid

A draft report by a key UN Security Council committee, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday, declared that members could not reach consensus on whether Palestine should be accepted as a UN member state. The report of the council's committee on admitting new member states said: "The committee was unable to make a unanimous recommendation to the Security Council." The report was circulated to all 15 Security Council members on Tuesday. The four-page draft appears to confirm that the Palestinian move to join the world body as a full member, which Western envoys said was doomed from the outset due to a US vow to veto it if it ever came to a vote in the council, is set to fail due to the council's unresolvable deadlock. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full UN membership for the state of Palestine on Sept 23. The Palestinians can still call for a vote in the Security Council, but diplomats say it is not clear whether they will do so given that Washington will likely not need to use its veto to block it. The Palestinians could score a moral victory and force Washington to cast its veto if they are able to get nine votes to support them in the council. A council resolution needs nine votes in favor, and no vetoes to pass.