TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has said that he is “disappointed” at the outcome of a United Nations vote on Palestine’s membership, which failed due to a veto from the United States. 

Speaking out on X, formerly known as Twitter this evening, Martin said that it is “past time” for Palestine to take its “rightful place” amongst the “nations of the world”. 

He further said that Ireland fully supports any resolution that will see Palestine’s membership bid become a success. 

Disappointed at outcome of UN Security Council vote on Palestinian UN membership.

It is past time for Palestine to take its rightful place amongst the nations of the world. 🇮🇪 fully supports UN membership and will vote in favour of any UNGA resolution to that end.

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) April 18, 2024

The draft resolution which was voted down tonight was proposed by Algeria. It recommended to the UN General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations. 

It received 12 votes in favour, two abstentions and one against. 

The Palestinian Authority condemned the United States for vetoing the bid, calling it an “aggression” that pushes the Middle East towards an “abyss”.

The US policy “represents a blatant aggression against international law and an encouragement to the pursuit of the genocidal war against our people… which pushes the region ever further to the edge of the abyss”, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas’s office said in a statement.

“The world is united behind the values of truth, justice, freedom and peace that the Palestinian cause represents,” said the Palestinian Authority, which sits in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank,” the statement added.