Abbas: US Veto Against Palestine Full UN Membership is ‘Regrettable, Irresponsible’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (dpa)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (dpa)
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Abbas: US Veto Against Palestine Full UN Membership is ‘Regrettable, Irresponsible’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (dpa)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (dpa)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday termed the US veto at the Security Council against his country’s request for full membership in the UN as “disappointing, regrettable, shameful, irresponsible, and unjustified.”

In an interview with the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the President said the US veto to block the resolution, which was introduced by Algeria, constitutes a blatant aggression against the rights, history, land, and sanctities of the Palestinian people, challenging the will of the international community.

“While the world agrees on the application of international law and stands by the Palestinian right, America continues to support the occupation, refusing to compel Israel to stop its genocidal war,” Abbas said.

“It provides Israel with weapons and funds,” the President added.

He then accused Washington of abandoning all promises regarding the two-state solution and achieving peace in the region.

“The Palestinian leadership will reconsider bilateral relations with the US to ensure the protection of our people’s interests, our cause, and our rights,” he affirmed.

Abbas warned that the entire region is heading towards further instability in the absence of a just solution to the Palestinian cause, based on Palestinian, Arab and international frameworks.

The US on Thursday vetoed a resolution at the UN Security Council 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 Council was 12 in favor and two abstentions – the UK and Switzerland.



Israeli Security Service Says 60 Hamas Members Arrested in West Bank

An Israeli military vehicle uses a laser, on the day of an Israeli raid in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle uses a laser, on the day of an Israeli raid in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Security Service Says 60 Hamas Members Arrested in West Bank

An Israeli military vehicle uses a laser, on the day of an Israeli raid in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle uses a laser, on the day of an Israeli raid in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel's security service said Sunday it had broken up a network of Hamas militants in the occupied West Bank suspected of planning attacks, arresting 60 of the group's members.

The Shin Bet internal security agency said in a statement that "a significant, complex, and large-scale Hamas infrastructure was exposed" in the West Bank town of Hebron, AFP reported.

It said it broke up 10 militant cells that "operated to carry out attacks in various formats in the immediate time frame".

Hamas leaders "worked to recruit, arm, and train additional Hamas operatives from the area to carry out shooting and bombing attacks against Israeli targets", according to the statement.

Shin Bet said the three-month joint operation with the military and police was its biggest investigation in the West Bank "in the past decade".

It said terrorism charges were being filed against the suspects.