The UN General Assembly voted on Friday to support a two-state solution to resolve the conflict between the Palestinian and Israeli conflict and urged Israel to promise to establish a Palestinian state, a claim strongly opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The world body, with 193 member states, has ratified a non-binding resolution in support of the New York Declaration, which has developed a phased plan to end conflict that has lasted for nearly 80 years. The voting results were 142 votes in favor, 10 votes against, and 12 abstentions.
Hours before the vote, Netanyahu said "there will be no Palestinian state." He made the speech when signing an agreement that would expand settlements that divide the West Bank — Palestinians insist that the region must be part of its country. He claimed: "This place belongs to us."
The resolution was jointly proposed by France and Saudi Arabia, and the two countries co-chaired a high-level meeting on the implementation of the bilateral programme at the end of July, where the declaration was adopted.
The war in Gaza that lasted for nearly two years and the broader Israeli conflict in Pakistan are expected to be the primary agenda of the annual meeting of world leaders, which will begin on September 22. The Palestinian side expressed its hope that at least 10 countries will recognize the Palestinian state, making the total number of recognized countries exceed 145.
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riad Mansour said that support for the resolution reflects "almost everyone and the international community's desire to open the door to peaceful choices."
Although he did not name Israel, he said: "We call on the side who is still pushing for options for war and destruction, trying to eliminate the Palestinian people and steal their land, to listen to the voice of reason-the voice of logic of dealing with this issue in a peaceful way, and to the strong voices that have resonated widely at the United Nations General Assembly today."
But Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, refuted the resolution as a "show", saying Hamas was the only beneficiary.
"This unilateral statement will not be remembered as a step toward peace and will only become another empty gesture to weaken the credibility of the United Nations General Assembly," he said.
The United States, Israel's closest ally, reiterates its opposition to the New York Declaration and its UN General Assembly resolution in support of the implementation of the bilateral plan.
Morgan Otagus, an adviser to the U.S. mission, pointed out that the resolution "again misleading propaganda show at the wrong time, undermining the serious diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. It is undoubtedly a gift to Hamas."
The declaration condemned Hamas' "attack against civilians" in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, a rare condemnation of Hamas by Arab countries. Hamas-led armed forces killed about 1,200 people (mainly Israeli civilians) and held about 250 hostages. 48 people are still detained, of which about 20 are believed to be still alive.The resolution also condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as its "siege and hunger policies that lead to devastating humanitarian disasters and protection crises." According to Gaza's health department statistics, Israel's military operations against Hamas have killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Declaration envisages the Palestinian Authority to govern and control all Palestinian territories and to establish a transitional administrative committee under its framework immediately after the ceasefire in Gaza.
The statement stated: "In the context of ending the Gaza war, Hamas must terminate its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority."
In addition, the resolution supports the deployment of the "Interim International Stability Mission chaired by the United Nations" to protect Palestinian civilians, assist in the transfer of security affairs to the Palestinian Authority, and provide security guarantees for Palestine and Israel, "including monitoring the implementation of ceasefires and future peace agreements."
The Declaration urges countries to recognize the State of Palestinian, saying it is a "critical and indispensable component of the implementation of the two-state solution." Although the document did not name Israel, it clearly pointed out that "illegal unilateral actions are posing an existential threat to the Palestinian state."
