US reiterates to vote against Palestinian bid in UN

The U.S. government reiterated on Wednesday that it will vote against the Palestinian bid for a non-member state status in the United Nations. "We've been very clear with our partners and with allies around the world that we intend to vote no, that we think this is a mistake and makes our effort to try to get the parties back to the table more difficult," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland in a briefing. "Our position has been that we oppose this move altogether. There is no language change in this thing that would change our vote," she told reporters. In terms of countries supporting the Palestinian effort, Nuland said that it is "a sovereign decision for each country to make based on their own policy." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to submit the Palestinian bid for a non-member state status to the UN General Assembly on Thursday. The Palestinians are guaranteed a majority support in the 193- member UN General Assembly, which has a majority of Arab, Muslim, developing and Non-Aligned Movement countries. The new Palestinian UN bid is expected to be granted by the General Assembly by a vote of simple majority. Currently, Palestine is regarded as an observer "entity" at the United Nations. Acceptance of Palestine as a non-member state, similar to the Vatican's UN status, would implicitly recognize the Palestinian statehood. The upgrade could also grant the Palestinians access to bodies like the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where they could file complaints against Israel. Israel and its closest ally, the United States, have repeatedly said that they oppose the Palestinian move at the United Nations.