The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly backed a resolution designed to revive the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, while explicitly excluding Hamas from any future leadership role in Gaza.
The New York Declaration, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, passed with 142 votes in favour, 10 against — including Israel and the United States — and 12 abstentions.
The resolution directly condemned Hamas, demanded the group release all hostages and insisted it hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.
“Collective action must end the war in Gaza and achieve a just, lasting settlement based on the two-state solution,” the text declared.
Strong international backing
The declaration had already won support from the Arab League and 17 UN member states before Friday’s vote. It states: “In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons… with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State.”
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed the move, calling it an “important step towards ending the occupation and achieving our independent state.”
Israel rejected the resolution outright. Foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said the UN had turned into a “political circus detached from reality.”
Pressure on Israel
The vote precedes a 22 September summit in New York co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, where President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to formally recognise Palestine. Several other leaders are expected to follow suit.
Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group described the resolution as significant: “Now at least states supporting the Palestinians can rebuff Israeli accusations that they implicitly condone Hamas.”
The declaration also floated a proposal for a temporary international stabilisation mission in Gaza under UN Security Council authority.
A divided future
Around three-quarters of UN member states already recognise the Palestinian state declared in 1988. But continued war in Gaza, expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and pledges by Israeli leaders to annex the territory raise doubts about whether an independent Palestinian state remains achievable.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Thursday: “We will fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, may miss the UN summit after US officials said they would deny him a visa.