The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted Friday to endorse a seven-page declaration calling for “tangible, time-bound, and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The resolution passed with 142 votes in favour, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. Notably, both the United States and Israel boycotted an earlier international conference in July—hosted by Saudi Arabia and France—that shaped the declaration.
The declaration doesn’t merely advocate dialogue—it demands action. It condemns the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, which triggered the Gaza war, as well as Israeli attacks against civilian infrastructure, sieges, and conditions that have led to mass displacement and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It also calls for the deployment of a temporary UN-mandated stabilization mission to help end hostilities.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the resolution isolates Hamas internationally for its crimes and demands its surrender and disarmament. All Gulf Arab states supported the move. In contrast, the US labelled the declaration a “misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt,” accusing it of emboldening Hamas and undermining serious peace efforts. Israel dismissed the resolution as biased, calling it one-sided theatre that rewards terror rather than fostering peace.
With a high-level UN General Assembly meeting scheduled for September 22, several Western countries—Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium—are expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state. This endorsement is likely to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel and add urgency to debates about the legitimacy of Hamas’s role in any future Palestinian governance.
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