UN Security Council revives Palestinian membership hopes [Video]

UNITED NATIONS –

The UN Security Council on Monday revived the Palestinian Authority’s hopes of joining the United Nations as a full member.

But the United States said relations between Israel and the Palestinians are far from ripe. That all but quashes the Palestinian Authority’s UN membership hopes for now.

The U.S. is one of five permanent members who can veto any council action. Members of its UN delegation reiterated Monday that the Palestinian Authority needs to exert control over all of the Palestinian territories and negotiate statehood with Israel before it wins statehood.

The Palestinian Authority administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Its forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas seized power in 2007, and it has no power there.