On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly decisively decided to support a declaration detailing “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians in anticipation of a gathering of global leaders.
The seven-page declaration emerged from an international conference at the UN in July, organized by Saudi Arabia and France, addressing the protracted conflict. The United States and Israel abstained from the tournament.
A resolution supporting the declaration garnered 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions.
The vote precedes a gathering of global leaders on September 22, coinciding with the high-level UN General Assembly, at which Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium are anticipated to acknowledge a Palestinian state officially.
The resolution ratified by the 193-member General Assembly denounces the assaults on Israel by the Palestinian organization Hamas on October 7, 2023, which sparked the conflict in Gaza.
It also denounces Israel’s assaults on residents and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, as well as the siege and famine, “which have culminated in a catastrophic humanitarian disaster and protection crisis.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that the decision ensured the worldwide isolation of Hamas.
“Today, the United Nations, for the first time, adopted a resolution condemning it for its crimes and demanding its surrender and disarmament,” he stated in a post on X.
All Gulf Arab states endorsed the resolution. Israel and the United States, together with Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga, cast votes in opposition.
The resolution’s proclamation asserts that the conflict in Gaza “must end now” and advocates for the establishment of a temporary multinational stabilization mission authorized by the UN Security Council.
The United States characterized the vote as “another misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt” that jeopardized earnest diplomatic endeavors to resolve the conflict.
“This resolution unequivocally benefits Hamas,” stated U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus before the General Assembly. “Rather than fostering peace, the conference has extended the conflict, empowered Hamas, and adversely affected the prospects for peace in both the short and long term.”
Israel, having consistently reproached the UN for its failure to denounce Hamas for the October 7 assaults explicitly, condemned the declaration as biased and characterized the voting as performative.
“The sole beneficiary is Hamas.” “When terrorists are the ones celebrating, you are not promoting peace; you are promoting terror,” stated Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon.
According to Israeli reports, the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, while approximately 251 were taken captive. According to local health authorities, about 64,000 individuals, predominantly civilians, have been killed throughout the conflict in Gaza.
