UN overwhelmingly endorses two-state solution declaration that condemns Hamas

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday
overwhelmingly voted to endorse a declaration outlining "tangible,
timebound, and irreversible steps" towards a two-state solution between
Israel and the Palestinians ahead of a meeting of world leaders.
The seven-page declaration is the result of an
international conference at the UN in July - hosted by Saudi Arabia and France
- on the decades-long conflict. The United States and
Israel boycotted the event.
A resolution endorsing the declaration received 142 votes
in favor and 10 against, while 12 countries abstained.
The vote comes ahead of a meeting of world leaders on
September 22 - on the sidelines of the high-level UN General Assembly - where
Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium are
expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
The declaration endorsed by the 193-member General Assembly
condemns the attacks against Israel by Palestinian group Hamas on October 7,
2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.
It also condemns the attacks by Israel against civilians
and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, siege and starvation, "which
have resulted in a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and protection
crisis."
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the
resolution secured the international isolation of Hamas.
"For the first time today, the United Nations adopted
a text condemning it for its crimes and calling for its surrender and
disarmament," he said in an X post.
The resolution was supported by all Gulf Arab states.
Israel and the United States voted against it, along with Argentina, Hungary,
Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga.
The declaration endorsed by the resolution says the war
in Gaza "must end now" and support the deployment of a
temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the UN Security
Council.
The United States described the vote as "yet another
misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt"
that undermined serious diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
"Make no mistake, this resolution is a gift to
Hamas," U.S. diplomat Morgan Ortagus told the General Assembly. "Far
from promoting peace, the conference has already prolonged the war, emboldened
Hamas and harmed the prospects of peace in both short and long term."
Israel, which has long criticized the UN for
not condemning Hamas by name for the October 7 attacks, dismissed the
declaration as one-sided and described the vote as theater.
"The only beneficiary is Hamas …When terrorists are
the ones cheering, you are not advancing peace; you are advancing terror,"
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel killed 1,200
people, mostly civilians, and about 251 were taken hostage, according to
Israeli tallies. More than 64,000 people, also mostly civilians, have since
been killed during the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
















