The US vetoed a bid to make Palestine a full-fledged member of the United Nations, rebuffing a Palestinian push to gain broader international recognition.
Twelve of 15 Security Council members voted in favor of the proposal on Thursday, while the UK and Switzerland abstained. Although the Palestinian Authority received enough support to have its bid referred to the General Assembly for confirmation, the negative vote from the US — which wields veto power — was enough to block it.
Arab nations revived the proposal for full membership, which was originally