The UN General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly adopted the “New York Declaration,” aimed at reviving the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, but explicitly excluding Hamas, which “must hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.”
The resolution, presented by France and Saudi Arabia, was adopted by 142 votes in favor, 10 against – including Israel and the United States – and 12 abstentions. Israel considered it “disgraceful as it encourages Hamas”
“We condemn the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on October 7,” and “Hamas must free all hostages” held in Gaza, the UN text states.
It goes further, declaring that “in the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in the territory and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State.”
Israel has criticized the UN for nearly two years over its failure to condemn Hamas’s unprecedented assault on October 7, 2023. But the new declaration leaves no ambiguity.
Formally entitled the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the text also calls for “collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful, and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution.”
The declaration, which was already endorsed by the Arab League and co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries, is intended to serve as the foundation for a summit in New York on September 22, to be co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to use that occasion to formally recognize the Palestinian state.
“Shield” Against Criticism
“The fact that the General Assembly is finally backing a text that condemns Hamas directly is significant,” even if “Israelis will say it is far too little, far too late,” Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.
“Now at least states supporting the Palestinians can rebuff Israeli accusations that they implicitly condone Hamas,” he said, adding that it “offers a shield against Israeli criticism.”
Following Macron’s announcement, several other leaders have also declared their intention to recognize the Palestinian state during the UN summit. The gestures are seen as a way of increasing pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza, triggered by the October 7 Hamas attacks.
The declaration also refers to the possible “deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission” in Gaza under the mandate of the Security Council, aimed at protecting civilians, strengthening Palestinian state institutions, and providing “security guarantees to both Palestine and Israel.”
Around three-quarters of the UN’s 193 member states already recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed in 1988 by the exiled Palestinian leadership.
But after nearly two years of war in Gaza, the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and Israeli officials openly discussing annexation, fears are growing that the creation of a Palestinian state could soon become physically impossible.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unequivocal: “There will be no Palestinian state,” he vowed on Thursday.
Meanwhile, US authorities have indicated they would deny Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas a visa to travel to New York for the UN summit.
Amélie Bottolier-Depois / AFP
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