UNITED NATIONS (BN24) The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly backed a resolution that advances the long-stalled two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, explicitly excluding Hamas from any future role in Palestinian governance.
In a vote held on Friday, September 12, 142 member states approved the resolution, while 10, including the United States and Israel, voted against it, and 12 abstained. Titled the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the resolution condemns Hamas, calls for the immediate release of hostages, and demands that the group relinquish control of Gaza.
Drafted jointly by France and Saudi Arabia, the declaration asserts that Hamas must end its rule in the Gaza Strip and transfer authority to the Palestinian Authority, with international backing. It also urges collective international action to halt the ongoing war in Gaza and promote a sustainable peace grounded in the two-state framework.
Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed the outcome as a vital step toward ending Israel’s decades-long occupation and realizing the goal of an independent Palestinian state. In contrast, Israel firmly rejected the resolution. Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein called the vote “further proof the United Nations has become a political circus detached from reality.”
The resolution precedes a September 22 summit in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, where French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders are expected to endorse Palestinian statehood formally. Analysts say the measure gives pro-Palestinian countries a political shield against allegations of supporting Hamas, while placing new diplomatic pressure on Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza.
The declaration also opens the door for a potential international stabilization mission in Gaza under UN leadership, aimed at supporting civilians during any transitional phase.
Despite broad international recognition, about three-quarters of UN member states already acknowledge Palestinian statehood, the path to implementation remains uncertain. Ongoing violence, Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, and repeated rejections of Palestinian statehood by the Israeli government continue to pose major obstacles. Just a day before the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that “there will be no Palestinian state,” signaling Israel’s firm opposition to the UN’s renewed diplomatic push.
