UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Friday to endorse a declaration calling for “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, intensifying pressure ahead of high-level meetings of world leaders later this month.
The seven-page declaration, drafted at an international conference hosted by Saudi Arabia and France in July, was adopted with 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. Both the United States and Israel boycotted the July meeting and opposed Friday’s resolution.
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The declaration, now endorsed by the 193-member body, demands an immediate end to the war in Gaza and calls for a U.N.-mandated temporary stabilization mission. It condemns both the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel — which killed 1,200 people and led to the taking of 251 hostages — and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza, accused of indiscriminate strikes, starvation tactics, and creating a “devastating humanitarian catastrophe.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot hailed the vote as historic, noting that “for the first time” the U.N. had explicitly condemned Hamas and called for its disarmament. All Gulf Arab states backed the resolution, while the U.S. and Israel were joined in opposition by Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay, and several Pacific island nations.
Supporters see momentum building: Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state during the General Assembly’s high-level week beginning September 22.
The U.S., however, dismissed the measure as “a misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt.” U.S. diplomat Morgan Ortagus warned delegates that “this resolution is a gift to Hamas” that risked prolonging the war rather than ending it.
Israel’s U.N. envoy Danny Danon echoed that view, labeling the declaration “theater” that rewarded terrorism. “When terrorists are the ones cheering, you are not advancing peace; you are advancing terror,” he said.
The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 64,000, according to local health authorities, the majority of them civilians. With pressure mounting on both sides, the vote underscored the widening divide between global calls for urgent de-escalation and the entrenched opposition of Washington and Jerusalem.
