A resolution to make Palestine a state was rejected Tuesday after it failed to garner enough U.N. Security Council votes, an act that could result in Palestinian officials taking their case to the International Criminal Court.
The resolution received eight votes in favor of statehood, just one short of the number required for it to pass, Voice of America reported. Australia and the U.S. voted against the measure while five out of the council's 15 member nations declined to vote.
"We voted against this resolution not because we are indifferent to the daily hardships or the security threats endured by Palestinians and Israelis," Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said according to VOA. "But because we know that those hardships will not cease and those threats will not subside until the parties reach a comprehensive settlement achieved through negotiations."
Palestinians have long pushed for an end to Israel's occupation in the West Bank, lands Israel seized along with east Jerusalem during the Arab-Israeli war in 1967, according to the Associated Press. The U.N. bid would have set a timeline to end the occupation in three years.
Palestinian U.N. representative Riyad Mansour accused the council of failing to fulfill its duties after the rejected bid.
"The Security Council has once again failed to uphold its charter duties to address these crises and to meaningfully contribute to a peaceful and lasting solution in accordance with its own resolutions," Mansour said, VOA reported.
Palestinian officials are expected to meet Wednesday to determine their next move. The meeting could result in a date set for applying to join the International Criminal Court in order to press charges against Israel for alleged war crimes, the AP reported. However, Israel could in turn file similar charges if the Palestinians become a member.
"I want to express my appreciation and gratitude to the U.S. and Australia," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also thanked Rwanda and Nigeria, which both abstained from the vote.
"They stood by their words and this is what tipped the scales."
