WASHINGTON — The United States is once again opposing Palestinian efforts to gain full membership in the United Nations.

The U.S. was expected to veto a Palestinian membership application Thursday, ending the latest debate on the issue at the U.N. Security Council and again squashing Palestinian statehood aspirations, at least for now.

Despite U.S. opposition, there is overwhelming support on the 15-nation council for the Palestinian bid. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the devastating war between Israel and the militant group Hamas in Gaza has only made the statehood goal more urgent.

"Recent escalations make it even more important to support good-faith efforts to find lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state," Guterres told the Security Council.

But the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said ahead of the expected vote that her country's opposition has not changed.

"Our position is that the issue of full Palestinian membership is a decision that should be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians," Thomas-Greenfield's deputy, Robert Wood, said.

Here's a deeper look at the background.

Why is the U.S. opposed?

The U.S. says allowing Palestine to become a full member of the U.N. would be tantamount to recognizing it as an independent state.

The U.S. maintains that such an elevation of Palestinian status has to come as part of a treaty with Israel that enshrines the two-state solution: establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel, complete with a raft of complicated security and territorial agreements.

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