UN General Assembly votes for ‘Hamas-free’ Palestinian state

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted on Friday to back the “New York Declaration,” a resolution which seeks to breathe new life into the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine — without the involvement of Hamas.

The text was adopted by 142 votes in favour, 10 against — including Israel and key ally the United States — and 12 abstentions. It rebukes Hamas and demands that it surrender its weapons.

Although Israel has criticised UN bodies for nearly two years over their failure to rebuke Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, the declaration, presented by France and Saudi Arabia, leaves no ambiguity.

Formally called the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the text states that “Hamas must free all hostages” and that the UN General Assembly (UNGA) condemns “the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on October 7”.

It also 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, which was already endorsed by the Arab League and co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries, also goes further than rebuking Hamas, seeking to fully excise it from a role in Gaza.

“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State,” the declaration states.

The vote precedes an upcoming UN summit co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris on September 22 in New York, in which French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to formally recognise the Palestinian state.

‘Shield’ against criticism

“The fact that the General Assembly is finally backing a text that condemns Hamas directly is significant” even if “Israelis will say it is far too little, far too late”, Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

“Now at least states supporting the Palestinians can rebuff Israeli accusations that they implicitly condone Hamas,” he said, adding that it “offers a shield against Israeli criticism”.

In addition to Macron, several other leaders have announced their intent to formally recognise the Palestinian state during the UN summit.

The gestures are seen as a means of increasing pressure on Israel to end the fighting in Gaza.

The New York Declaration includes discussion of a “deployment of a temporary international stabilisation mission” to the battered region under the mandate of the UN Security Council, aiming to support the Palestinian civilian population and facilitate security responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority.

Around three-quarters of the 193 UN member states recognise the Palestinian state proclaimed in 1988 by the exiled Palestinian leadership.

However, after two years of fighting have ravaged the Gaza Strip, in addition to expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the stated desire by Israeli officials to annex the territory, fears have been growing that the existence of an independent Palestinian state will soon become impossible.

Israel’s devastating retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,656 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Israel has been facing growing international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by its offensive with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and experts already declaring its actions in Gaza as a “genocide”, which Tel Aviv rejects.

“We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, may be prevented from visiting New York for the UN summit after US authorities said they would deny him a visa.