U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice objected to the Palestinians’ latest bid to capitalize on their upgraded U.N. status, when their foreign minister spoke for the first time at the Security Council seated behind a nameplate that read “State of Palestine.” Rice insisted that the United States does not recognize the state of Palestine following the November vote at the General Assembly, and reiterated that “only direct negotiations to settle final status issues will lead to this outcome.” The Canadian ambassador joined Ambassador Rice in voicing their objection to the placard.