UN overwhelmingly backs Palestinian statehood as Israel and U.S. vote against it

• The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding a two-state solution excluding Hamas from Gaza’s governance.
• 142 nations backed the measure, isolating Israel and the U.S. while condemning both Hamas attacks and Israel’s military campaign.
• Israel and the U.S. rejected the resolution, calling it a hollow gesture that emboldens Hamas and prolongs the war.
• The UN declared Hamas must disarm and surrender, while urging hostage releases and condemning Israel’s siege tactics.
• France and other nations are set to recognize Palestinian statehood, deepening Israel’s diplomatic isolation.

The United Nations General Assembly delivered a stunning rebuke to Israel and the United States on Friday, passing a resolution with 142 nations in favor of a two-state solution that explicitly excludes Hamas from any future governance of Gaza. The measure, which also demands the militant group’s disarmament, marks the strongest international condemnation yet of Hamas while simultaneously isolating Israel and its closest ally, the U.S., on the world stage.

The resolution, titled the New York Declaration, calls for “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” toward Palestinian statehood, including the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza. It condemns both the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military campaign, which has left nearly 65,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health authorities. The vote — 142 in favor, 10 against, with 12 abstentions — reflects growing global frustration with the war’s humanitarian toll and Israel’s refusal to entertain Palestinian sovereignty.

A diplomatic defeat for Israel and the U.S.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon dismissed the resolution as a “hollow gesture” that “rewards” Hamas rather than weakens it. “It doesn’t shorten the war, it prolongs it,” he told the assembly. The U.S. echoed this sentiment, with diplomat Morgan Ortagus calling the measure a “misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt” that emboldens Hamas. Both nations, along with eight others including Hungary and Argentina, voted against the resolution.

The declaration’s passage comes just days before a high-level UN summit on September 22, where France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Belgium are expected to formally recognize Palestinian statehood. This wave of diplomatic momentum has left Israel increasingly isolated, particularly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared this week that there would never be a Palestinian state.

For the first time, the UN explicitly called for Hamas to cede control of Gaza, a demand that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot hailed as a diplomatic victory. “The United Nations adopted a text condemning [Hamas] for its crimes and calling for its surrender and disarmament,” he wrote on X. The resolution also urges the release of all hostages still held in Gaza and condemns Israel’s siege tactics, which have created what the UN describes as a “devastating humanitarian catastrophe.”

Yet even as the international community rallies behind a two-state framework, Israel’s military campaign rages on. The Israeli Defense Forces reported five waves of airstrikes on Gaza City this week alone, targeting over 500 sites. Meanwhile, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani accused Israel of “state terrorism,” citing its recent strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha in a move widely seen as an attempt to sabotage ceasefire talks.

Recognition and resistance

The resolution’s timing is no coincidence. With more European nations poised to recognize Palestine in the coming weeks, the UN vote signals a turning point in global diplomacy. Palestine’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the measure, calling for “activating all mechanisms to end the Israeli colonial occupation.” But Israel remains defiant, expanding West Bank settlements and rejecting any negotiation that includes Palestinian statehood.

As the war grinds on, the UN’s latest move exposes a deepening rift: the world demands peace, while Israel and its backers double down on military force. For now, the resolution remains non-binding, but its moral weight is undeniable. The question is whether diplomacy can prevail where bombs have failed.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

Reuters.com

AlJazeera.com