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The United Nations General Assembly has adopted the "New York Declaration," a resolution designed to revive momentum for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while explicitly excluding Hamas from future leadership in Gaza.
The resolution passed on Friday with 142 votes in favor, 10 against—including Israel and the United States—and 12 abstentions.
Formally titled the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the text condemns Hamas for October 7, 2023 incident, demands the release of all hostages, and calls for the group to surrender its weapons.
The declaration also states that Hamas must relinquish control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, with international support, to pave the way for a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.
The initiative, jointly presented by France and Saudi Arabia, had already been endorsed by the Arab League and co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries.
The vote comes ahead of a UN summit in New York on September 22, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, where French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to formally recognize Palestinian statehood. Several other leaders are expected to make similar announcements.
Richard Gowan, UN Director at the International Crisis Group, said the resolution gives pro-Palestinian states a defense against Israeli criticism, noting that "now at least states supporting the Palestinians can rebuff Israeli accusations that they implicitly condone Hamas."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by vowing that "there will be no Palestinian state," while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may be prevented from attending the upcoming UN summit after U.S. authorities signaled they would deny him a visa.
The decision comes as the death toll in Gaza reached 64,750 as of Friday, with 38 more people killed in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry also reported that two Palestinians, including a child, died of malnutrition during the same period, raising the number of famine-related deaths since October 2023 to 413, among them 143 children.
The humanitarian crisis has been worsening as Israeli attacks continue alongside a blockade that prevents aid from entering the enclave, creating famine conditions. In August, the United Nations declared the first-ever famine in the Middle East, noting that more than 500,000 people in Gaza face hunger.
Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military offensive in Gaza, while the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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