UN General Assembly Endorses Declaration for Palestinian Statehood, Israel Calls It a “Prize for Terror”

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

UNITED NATIONS (Worthy News) – The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly endorsed a French and Saudi-led declaration urging Palestinian statehood and advancing the two-state solution, despite strong objections from Israel and the United States.

Overwhelming Vote for the New York Declaration

The resolution, known as the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, passed with 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. The seven-page document lays out “tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps” toward the creation of a Palestinian state.

It calls for:

• An immediate end to the war in Gaza,
• The deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission under a UN Security Council mandate, and
• A transfer of leadership in Gaza from Hamas to the Palestinian Authority, with international backing.

The declaration also condemns Israel’s attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Gaza, citing siege and starvation as having caused a “devastating humanitarian catastrophe.”

Strong Israeli and U.S. Opposition

Israel rejected the resolution outright. Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called it “not diplomacy, but theatre.”

“This one-sided declaration will not be remembered as a step toward peace, only as another hollow gesture that weakens this Assembly’s credibility. The only beneficiary is Hamas … When terrorists are the ones cheering, you are not advancing peace; you are advancing terror,” Danon said.

The United States echoed Israel’s position. U.S. diplomat Morgan Ortagus dismissed the measure as “a misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt” that undermines genuine peace efforts.

“Make no mistake, this resolution is a gift to Hamas,” she told delegates. “It emboldens terrorists and prolongs the war.”

France, Saudi Arabia, and Arab Support

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot defended the resolution, stressing that it represented a unified international stance against Hamas.

“For the first time today, the United Nations adopted a text condemning it for its crimes and calling for its surrender and disarmament,” Barrot posted on X.

The measure was co-signed in July at a UN conference by 17 member states, including several Arab countries. The Arab League also backed it.

Divisions Among Nations

Alongside Israel and the U.S., countries opposing the resolution included Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga.

Twelve other nations abstained.

Growing Push for Palestinian Statehood

The vote comes as global momentum builds for formal recognition of a Palestinian state. An upcoming UN summit on September 22 in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is expected to see countries such as Britain, Canada, Australia, and Belgium formally recognize Palestinian statehood.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the General Assembly vote, with spokesman Oren Marmorstein calling it “a political circus detached from reality.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that Israel opposes granting the Palestinian Authority control of Gaza, arguing that such moves would only reward terrorism.

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