Israel Faces Global Rebuke as UN Backs Palestinian State
General Assembly overwhelmingly backs two-state solution, defying Israel.
The UN General Assembly on Friday delivered a resounding endorsement of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, approving a nonbinding resolution with 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. The resolution, rooted in the "New York Declaration," outlines a phased roadmap to end the nearly eight-decade-long conflict, urging Israel to support the creation of a Palestinian state—a move fiercely opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The vote came hours after Netanyahu declared, “There will be no Palestinian state,” while signing an agreement to expand West Bank settlements, which Palestinians view as essential territory for their future state. His remarks underscored Israel’s rejection of the two-state framework, intensifying tensions as world leaders prepare to address the conflict at the General Assembly’s annual gathering starting September 22.
Sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, the resolution builds on the New York Declaration, adopted at a July conference aimed at advancing a two-state solution. The declaration condemns both the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, and Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza, which has claimed over 64,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It calls for Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza and its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, envisioning the Authority governing all Palestinian territories post-ceasefire.
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Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour hailed the vote as a reflection of global support for peace, urging Israel to heed “the sound of reason” and abandon policies of “war and destruction.” He expressed hope that at least 10 more countries will recognize Palestine, joining the 145 that already do, to bolster the push for statehood.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon, however, dismissed the resolution as “theatre” and a “gift to Hamas,” arguing it undermines peace efforts and the General Assembly’s credibility. The United States, Israel’s staunchest ally, echoed this sentiment, with US Mission counselor Morgan Ortagas calling the resolution “misguided and ill-timed” and detrimental to diplomatic progress.
The New York Declaration proposes a temporary UN-backed international stabilization mission to protect Palestinian civilians, oversee security transitions to the Palestinian Authority, and monitor any future ceasefire or peace agreement. It also denounces “illegal unilateral actions”—a clear reference to Israeli settlement expansion—as a threat to Palestinian statehood.
The vote highlights the deepening global divide over the conflict, with the international community increasingly vocal in its support for Palestinian self-determination. As the Gaza war approaches its second year, the humanitarian crisis, marked by Israel’s siege and widespread destruction, continues to fuel calls for a lasting solution. The resolution, while nonbinding, sends a powerful message to Israel and sets the stage for heated debates at the upcoming General Assembly session, where the Palestinian issue will take center stage.
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