10 countries reject UN “New York Declaration,” 12 abstain

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday adopted the “New York Declaration,” aimed at giving new momentum to the two-state solution in the "Israeli-Palestinian conflict", explicitly excluding Hamas.

The declaration, the result of an international conference organized by Saudi Arabia and France, was approved by an overwhelming majority of 142 countries, with 10 voting against and 12 abstaining.

Read more: Historic UN vote backs Palestinian sovereignty

Countries voting against the declaration included the United States, 'Israel', Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay, Nauru, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga. Those abstaining included the Czech Republic, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Albania, Fiji, Guatemala, Samoa, North Macedonia, Moldova, and South Sudan.

France comments

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the adoption, calling it a step on an “irreversible path toward peace.” He noted on X that the declaration was “led by France and Saudi Arabia” and comes ahead of a summit co-hosted by Paris and Riyadh on September 22 at the United Nations, where France and other Western countries pledged to recognize the State of Palestine.

Palestine comments

Palestinian Deputy President and PLO Executive Committee member Hussein al-Sheikh also praised the UN adoption, describing it as “an important step toward ending the occupation and establishing our independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.” He emphasized that growing international recognition of Palestine safeguards Palestinian self-determination and strengthens the two-state solution, contributing to regional and international security.