UN resolution gives new life to ‘Palestine state’
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• General Assembly endorses two-state solution, asks Hamas to surrender weapons and free prisoners
• Pakistan among 142 states that vote in favour; US, nine others vote against resolution
• Palestinian official says document important step towards ‘achieving our independent state’
• US official says move ‘risks prolonging war’; Rubio to oppose ‘unilateral recognition’ during Israel visit
UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly voted on Friday to back a resolution that seeks to breathe new life into the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, without the involvement of Hamas.
The text was adopted by 142 votes in favour, 10 against, including Israel and key ally the United States, and 12 abstentions. It clearly condemned Hamas and demanded that the resistance group surrender its weapons.
Although Israel has criticised UN bodies for nearly two years over their failure to condemn Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, the declaration, presented by France and Saudi Arabia, left 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 stated that “Hamas must free all hostages” and that the UN General Assembly condemned “the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October.”
It also called 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 UN member states, including several Arab countries, also sought to fully exclude Hamas 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 stated.
‘Important step’
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed the decision, saying the resolution “expresses international willingness to support our people’s rights and constitutes an important step towards ending the occupation and achieving our independent state”.
In his explanation of Pakistan’s vote, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad reiterated Islamabad’s “long-standing and principled position” in support of Palestinian self-determination. He condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza, the expansion of settlements, and the humanitarian toll being exacted upon civilians there and demanded immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire.
However, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein slammed the vote, saying in a post on X that Israel “utterly rejects” the declaration, calling it evidence that the General Assembly had become “a political circus detached from reality”.
A US diplomat told the General Assembly that the resolution would amount to a “gift to Hamas,” asserting that, rather than promoting peace, it risked prolonging the war and harming both short- and long-term prospects for peace.
It may be noted that the efforts to end the Gaza war and release Israeli hostages suffered a significant blow after Tel Aviv attacked the Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar, drawing widespread condemnations for its flagrant violation of international law.
Only a few days before the attack, the US president had issued a ‘last warning’ to Hamas, asking it to accept the deal for the release of Israeli prisoners.
In response to Donald Trump’s comments, Hamas said it was ready to “immediately sit at the negotiating table” but wanted “a clear declaration of the end of the war, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the formation of a committee of independent Palestinians to manage the Gaza Strip, which would begin its duties immediately”.
Hamas also agreed last month to a ceasefire proposal that involved a 60-day truce and staggered prisoner releases. Israel, however, demanded that Hamas release all the prisoners at once, disarm itself and relinquish control of Gaza, among other conditions.
‘Shield’ against criticism
The vote precedes an upcoming UN summit co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris on September 22 in New York, in which French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to formally recognise 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, UN 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 recognise the Palestinian state during the UN summit.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, may be prevented from visiting New York for the UN summit after US authorities said they would deny him a visa.
The New York Declaration includes discussion of a “deployment of a temporary international stabilisation mission” to the battered region under the mandate of the UN Security Council, aiming to support the Palestinian civilian population.
Around three-quarters of the 193 UN member states recognise the Palestinian state proclaimed in 1988 by the exiled Palestinian leadership.
However, 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. “We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will leave Washington on a trip to Israel on Friday to offer support before French-led moves to recognise a Palestinian state, the State Department said. He will speak to Israeli leaders about “our commitment to fight anti-Israel actions including unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state that rewards Hamas terrorism,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2025
