US State Department: Palestine's Membership in the UN is Premature

The United States intends to vote against the draft resolution in the UN Security Council regarding Palestine's full membership in the United Nations. This was stated by Vedant Patel, the Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State.

He confirmed that the United States is committed to a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the "two-state" principle, but has warned the UN to refrain from "premature actions," as these, according to the State Department, will not assist Palestine in gaining statehood.

Patel emphasized that stable peace in the region will only be established on the basis of the "two-state" principle, also conditioned on ensuring Israel's security. The US foreign policy official added that the fastest route to Palestinian statehood is through direct negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian national authorities with the support of the US and other partners.

Patel mentioned that the question remains unresolved whether Palestine meets the criteria required to be recognized as a state. He also highlighted that the radical Palestinian group Hamas currently holds power and influence in the Gaza Strip.