NEW YORK - Applause echoed in the UN General Assembly chamber Friday as countries approved a declaration on a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of a two-state solution with Israel. The New York declaration is the result of an international conference held at UN headquarters in July, hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, which will continue later this month.
The General Assembly includes all 193 UN member states and 142 countries voted in favour of a resolution supporting the document. Israel voted against, along with nine other countries - Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States - while 12 countries abstained.
"Plan" for the future
Before the vote, French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont recalled that the New York Declaration "sets out a unified roadmap for achieving a two-state solution". This includes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held in Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state that is both viable and sovereign. The plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from the administration of Gaza, the normalisation of relations between Israel and the Arab countries, and collective security guarantees.
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said before the vote that "this unilateral statement will not be remembered as a step towards peace, but only as another empty gesture that weakens the credibility of this assembly." He said that "Hamas is the biggest winner of any support here today" and would declare it "the fruit of October 7." The high-level international conference in July was held against the backdrop of the Gaza war and the deteriorating prospects for a two-state solution.
In his opening remarks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that "the central issue for peace in the Middle East is the implementation of a two-state solution where two independent, sovereign and democratic states - Israel and Palestine - live side by side in peace and security."
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