A flurry of U.S. media reports have pointed to meddling by the United States as the root of the Palestine-Israel conflict.
On Thursday, the U.S. vetoed the Palestinian request for full United Nations membership at the UN Security Council (UNSC). The 15-member council voted on a draft resolution recommending to the 193-member UN General Assembly that "the State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations."
The draft resolution received 12 votes in favor, two abstentions and one vote against.
After the vote, the U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Robert Wood said the U.S. continues to strongly support a two-state solution, and that the vote "does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood".
The U.S. has a long history of using its veto to halt resolutions critical of Israel at the UN Security Council.
According to a report from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the U.S. first used its veto power to support Israel in 1972 when it rejected a resolution that called on Israel to cease its aggression in Lebanon.
As of Dec 18, 2023, the U.S. has vetoed 89 Security Council resolutions since 1945, among them 45 were critical of Israel. Of the vetoed resolutions, 33 pertained to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories or the country's treatment of the Palestinian people, said the report. An article published in Foreign Policy, a U.S.-based magazine on global affairs, said the U.S. is the "root cause" of the current Palestine-Israel conflict.
According to the article, the U.S. has been trying to construct a regional order that served its interests in the Middle East since 1991 when the country emerged as an external power in the region's affairs.
Apart from votes in favor of Israel at the UN Security Council, the U.S. also provides substantial military aid to Israel.
On Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a series of foreign aid bills allocating a combined 95 billion U.S. dollars for Ukraine, Israel and allies in the Indo-Pacific, of which 26 billion U.S. dollars were granted to Israel.
In its actions of siding with Israel against other countries, the U.S. on Thursday announced new sanctions against Iran targeting Tehran's drone program, steel industry and an automobile company, a move U.S. President Biden said was aimed at "holding Iran responsible" for its recent attack against Israel. The offensive was a response to Israel's deadly attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
According to another article in Foreign Policy, the U.S. has been giving Israel "unconditional support" for the past few decades, which has contributed to its politics as well as its behavior toward the Palestinians becoming increasingly extreme over time.
U.S. responsible for Middle East turmoil: U.S media
