France, Britain to abstain from UN Palestinian vote, say diplomats
Palestinians in Ramallah watch their President Mahmoud Abbas on TV as he delivers his speech at the United Nations during the General Assembly.
United Nations diplomats say Britain, France and Colombia will abstain in a vote on Palestinian membership to the Security Council.
None of these countries have confirmed this is the case, the BBC reported, adding that Germany had declared it would not support the Palestinian bid, without clarifying whether it would abstain.
Read more on GlobalPost: Palestinians win seat at UNESCO
The United States has promised to veto any resolution for a Palestinian state put before the UN Security Council, which is considering an application made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in September.
A Council committee is expected to present its report next week.
A UN diplomat told Agence France Press there was now “no way” the Palestinians will manage to get the the nine votes needed for a resolution to pass.
A decision by France and Germany not to vote is a major setback for the Palestinians, who have been trying to win support from European states, the BBC reported.
News of the likely abstentions comes after the UNESCO, the UN’s education, science and culture body, on Monday vote to accept Palestinian membership.