The United States has vetoed a widely supported resolution at the UN Security Council (UNSC) that would have paved the way for the state of Palestine to gain full membership at the United Nations.

The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favour, the US opposed and two abstentions, the UK and Switzerland.

After vetoing the measure, the US deputy envoy to the UN, Robert Wood, said Washington believed there was no other path to Palestinian statehood than through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

“We have long been clear that premature actions here in New York, even with the best intentions, will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people,” Wood said.

Palestinians, he added, “made and continue to make great sacrifices to achieve this goal.”

Reactions to the US veto

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the US veto was a “blatant aggression which pushes the region ever further to the edge of the abyss.”

Hamas said it condemned US’s “biased” position “in the strongest terms.”

Egypt expressed “deep regret” over the move, saying the US was violating its “legal and historical responsibility” by denying Palestinian statehood.

Russia said the US had demonstrated that it only considered the “the interest of Israel.”

Tehran said the US Security Council veto to block Palestine from achieving full UN membership was “irresponsible.”

He described the move as “irresponsible” and “unconstructive.”

Saudi Arabia has expressed regret over the failure of the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution accepting full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations.

But Israeli foreign minister, Israeli Katz, commended the US for casting a veto on Thursday, saying, “The shameful proposal was rejected. Terrorism will not be rewarded.”