The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, despite fierce opposition from Israel and the United States.
The “New York Declaration,” introduced by France and Saudi Arabia, was passed on Friday with 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions.
The resolution outlines “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” towards establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. It calls for collective action to end the war in Gaza and achieve a just and lasting peace.
Key demands of resolution
The declaration goes beyond general statements, setting specific conditions:
-
Hamas must release all hostages.
-
The group must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.
-
Progress should align with the creation of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.
Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the initiative, praising Saudi-French efforts to put forward an “actionable plan” and calling for mechanisms to end Israeli occupation and secure Palestinian rights.
Israel rejects resolution
Israel strongly condemned the UN vote, describing it as “disgraceful.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said the General Assembly had become “a political circus detached from reality.” He also criticized the resolution for failing to label Hamas a “terrorist organization.”
The rejection came just a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that a Palestinian state would “never” be established and signed off on further settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Escalation in the region
The vote coincided with heightened regional tensions. Israel has launched multiple deadly strikes across the Middle East in recent days, targeting Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia, and Qatar, alongside ongoing bombardments in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
These actions have raised concerns that Israel’s aggressive military campaign could derail any international attempts to revive peace talks.
