United States Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel stated on Thursday that Washington will not provide support for Palestine to become a permanent member of the United Nations.
"Premature actions in New York even with the best intentions will not achieve statehood of the Palestinian people," Patel underlined, stressing that the Admission Committee was not unanimous in its decision on whether Palestine met the criteria of membership as determined by Article 4 of the UN Charter.
"We've long called for the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms ... and note that Hamas ... is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, which would be an integral part of the envisioned state," the Department of State spokesperson underlined.