The UN General Assembly will vote on Friday on the “New York Declaration,” a resolution designed to breathe new life into the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine — while explicitly sidelining Hamas.
Formally titled “The New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”, the draft calls for “collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the Two-State solution.”
The declaration establishes the exclusion of Hamas as one of the central tenets of its framework. It states that “Hamas must free all hostages” and condemns “the attacks committed by Hamas on the 7th of October.” Furthermore, it demands that Hamas end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international support, as part of the path toward establishing an independent Palestinian state.
The declaration also raises the possibility of a temporary international stabilisation mission under a UN Security Council mandate to support the Palestinian population and facilitate security responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority.
“We supported the deployment of a temporary international stabilisation mission upon invitation by the Palestinian Authority and under the aegis of the United Nations and in line with UN principles, building on existing UN capacities, to be mandated by the UN Security Council, with appropriate regional and international support. We welcomed the readiness expressed by some Member States to contribute troops,” the resolution states.
The text, presented by France and Saudi Arabia, has already been endorsed by the Arab League and co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries.
Uncertainty persists
The vote comes ahead of a high-profile UN summit in New York on September 22, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, where leaders from France, the UK, Canada, Portugal, and several other countries have pledged to formally recognise the Palestinian state.
Several other leaders are expected to make similar announcements, a gesture seen as a means of increasing pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza, which has lasted almost two years.
According to the New York Declaration, “Gaza is an integral part of a Palestinian State and must be unified with the West Bank. There must be no occupation, siege, territorial reduction, or forced displacement.”
However, the context remains tense and uncertain. Around three-quarters of the UN’s 193 member states already recognise the Palestinian state declared in 1988. But, after two years of devastating war in Gaza, the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and repeated pledges by Israeli officials to annexe the territory, fears have grown that the two-state solution is slipping out of reach.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday: “We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, may be blocked from attending the New York summit after US authorities signalled they would deny him a visa.
