UN General Assembly Backs Two-State Solution Amid Escalating Gaza Conflict

The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted Friday to support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, urging Israel to commit to a Palestinian state. The nonbinding resolution, endorsing the “New York Declaration,” passed with 142 votes in favor, 10 against (including the United States), and 12 abstentions.

The vote comes as the nearly two-year war in Gaza continues to intensify. Just hours before the resolution, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his stance, stating, “There will be no Palestinian state.” The resolution, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, sets out a phased plan for peace, including a call for Hamas to end its rule in Gaza and an international stabilization mission.

Despite the UN’s push for peace, military operations in Gaza persist. Recent days have seen intensified Israeli strikes across Gaza City, targeting high-rise buildings, with the IDF ordering remaining residents to move south. Humanitarian agencies report dire conditions and famine, with hundreds of thousands displaced between mid-August and mid-September, adding to over 64,000 Palestinian casualties according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour hailed the resolution as reflecting the international community’s “yearning…to open the door for the option of peace.” However, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon dismissed it as “theater” benefiting only Hamas, a sentiment echoed by the United States, which called it a “misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt.”

The “New York Declaration” also condemned Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks and Israel’s actions against civilians in Gaza. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is expected to be a primary focus at the annual General Assembly gathering starting September 22, where the Palestinian delegation hopes for further international recognition of Palestine.

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