A draft resolution creating a Palestinian state before the United Nations Security Council was defeated after it failed to gather enough votes while the United States and Australia voted against it and 5 council members abstained.

A coalition of Arab states led by Jordan sent the official proposal for statehood on Tuesday. It included a draft of a similar proposal submitted to the Council earlier this month. Delegates announced their votes on the proposal on Tuesday afternoon.

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Only 8 council members approved the draft and the US still vetoed the resolution. Another veto power state, Britain, along with South Korea, Nigeria, Lithuania, and Rwanda abstained.

US Ambassador Samantha Power said the resolution will only create more division in the Middle East instead of agreement and compromise, and warned of a "staged confrontation" if the draft is passed.

For his part, the British ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant, said the UK backs the intent of the resolution but it abstained form it with regret. The envoy said the UK is disappointed that necessary and normal talks did not take place in drafting the resolution.

But, Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the Kremlin does not believe the resolution will harm peace negotiations.

China defended the resolution, saying the draft contains the righteous demands of Arab states, including Palestinians.

Beijing's permanent representative to the United Nations, Liu Jieyi, said the resolution follows the 'land for peace' principle and the peace roadmap for the region.

The resolution prescribes a year for coming up with a lasting peace solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It requires the creation of a sovereign Palestinian nation, in accordance with 1967 borders, and the draft also requires Israel's withdrawal of all forces from Palestinian territory in two years.

The resolution recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of both Palestine and Israel, but the draft does not say what East Jerusalem's status is in a Palestinian state. 

TagsState of Palestine