UN General Assembly Endorses New York Declaration On Two-State Solution Between Israel & Palestine

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Sep, 2025) The UN General Assembly Friday endorsed by a large majority of votes a declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-State solution with Israel, with Pakistan calling it a "timely" initiative that seeks to breathe new life into the peace process.

The New York Declaration is the outcome of an international conference held in July at UN Headquarters, organized by France and Saudi Arabia, which resumes later this month.

The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States and 142 countries voted in favour of a resolution backing the document.

Israel voted against it, alongside nine other countries – Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States – while 12 nations abstained.

Prior to the vote, French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont recalled that the New York Declaration “lays out a single roadmap to deliver the two-State solution”.

This involves an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release of all hostages held there, and the establishment of a Palestinian State that is both viable and sovereign.

The roadmap further calls for the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, normalization between Israel and the Arab countries, as well as collective security guarantees.

Speaking ahead of the vote, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said that “this one-sided Declaration will not be remembered as a step toward peace, only as another hollow gesture that weakens this Assembly’s credibility.”

He claimed that “Hamas is the biggest winner of any endorsement here today” and will declare it “the fruit of 7 October”.

The high-level international conference in July was held against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and deteriorating prospects for the two-State solution.

In remarks to the opening segment, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that “the central question for middle East peace is implementation of the two-State solution, where two independent, sovereign, democratic States – Israel and Palestine – live side-by-side in peace and security.”

Explaining his vote, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said Friday's endorsement reflects Islamabad's commitment to the realization of a just and lasting peace.

Pakistan, he said, strongly condemns the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 64,000 people. The relentless destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law and has inflicted untold suffering on the Palestinian people.

"Equally alarming are the continued attempts by the occupier to expand illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in flagrant defiance of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, the Pakistani envoy said.

"These actions not only exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe but are also an attempt to undermine the prospects for a two-State solution."

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire across Gaza and all occupied Palestinian Territories; a full and unimpeded humanitarian access to the besieged and starved Palestinian population," he said, emphasizing that the occupation must end.

In conclusion, he called for translating the international commitments into concrete actions, advancing the long-overdue realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and statehood.