The United Nations General Assembly on Friday adopted the 'New York Declaration,' a resolution reaffirming support for Palestinian statehood and urging renewed commitment to the two-state solution as the path to lasting peace, while excluding Hamas from the process.
The text was adopted by 142 votes in favor, 10 against – including Israel and key ally the United States – and 12 abstentions.
Although Israel has criticized U.N. bodies for nearly two years over their failure to condemn Hamas's attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the declaration, presented by France and Saudi Arabia, leaves no ambiguity.
Formally called the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the text states that "Hamas must free all hostages" and that the U.N. General Assembly condemns "the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October."
It 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 U.N. member states, including several Arab countries, also goes further than condemning Hamas, seeking to fully excise them from leadership in Gaza.
"In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State," the declaration states.
The vote precedes an upcoming U.N. summit co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris on Sept. 22 in New York, in which French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to formally recognize the Palestinian state.
"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, U.N. 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."
In addition to Macron, several other leaders have announced their intent to formally recognize the Palestinian state during the U.N. summit.
The gestures are seen as a means of increasing pressure on Israel to end its genocidal war in Gaza.
The New York Declaration includes discussion of a "deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission" to the battered region under the mandate of the U.N. Security Council, aiming to support the Palestinian civilian population and facilitate security responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority.
Around three-quarters of the 193 U.N. member states recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed in 1988 by the exiled Palestinian leadership.
However, after two years of war have ravaged the Gaza Strip, in addition to expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the stated desire by Israeli officials to annex the territory, fears have been growing that the existence of an independent Palestinian state will soon become impossible.
"We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, may be prevented from visiting New York for the U.N. summit after U.S. authorities said they would deny him a visa.
