In another setback to Palestine's bid for full membership status at the UN, the US once again blocked the Security Council from granting Palestinians full membership on April 18, 2024.

Despite 12 Security Council members voting in favor Palestine's bid for a full-member state, the UK and Switzerland abstained.

Initially, the US attempted to persuade the Palestinian Authority to withdraw the measure, but after Ramallah declined, it turned to other members to either oppose or abstain from voting, The Times of Israel reported quoting a US official.

However, the final vote revealed the Biden administration's largely unsuccessful efforts, with US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood standing alone in opposition to the resolution, symbolizing Washington's international isolation on the issue.

France, Japan, South Korea, and Slovenia supported the resolution put forth by Algeria despite not individually recognizing a Palestinian state.

The US official speculated that these countries voted as they did, knowing there would be no consequences, given Washington's promised veto.

Sierra Leone, Russia, Mozambique, Malta, Guyana, Ecuador, China, and Algeria also voted in favor, having already recognized a Palestinian state.

At least nine votes were required from the 15-member body to force a US veto.

The US has consistently opposed Palestinian attempts for unilateral statehood at the UN, advocating for achieving this goal through direct negotiations with Israel. Recently, US officials argued that such efforts hinder the Biden administration's pursuit of a two-state solution through a broader regional initiative.

Since gaining non-member observer status in 2012, Palestinians have sought, unsuccessfully, to become the 194th member of the UN.

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This vote on April 18 was not the first time the Security Council denied the Palestine's bid for a full-member status; a similar outcome occurred in 2014 when they fell short of the nine-vote threshold. At that time, the vote resulted in eight in favor, two against, and five abstentions, with France also among the countries supporting the resolution.