UN Backs Declaration Demanding Hamas Hostage Release and Gaza Disarmament
The UN General Assembly has endorsed a declaration, spearheaded by France and Saudi Arabia, unequivocally condemning Hamas’s October 7th attacks on Israeli civilians and demanding the immediate release of all hostages. Formally titled the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the text received endorsements from the Arab League and 17 UN member states prior to the vote, including several Arab nations.
Beyond the condemnation of Hamas, the declaration calls for the group to relinquish control of Gaza, transferring its weapons to the Palestinian Authority with international support. This move is framed within the context of achieving a sovereign and independent Palestinian State and ending the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The declaration also advocates for ”collective action” to achieve a “just, peaceful and lasting settlement” based on the Two-State solution.
The vote precedes a UN summit scheduled for september 22nd in New York, co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris. french President Emmanuel macron has announced his intention to formally recognize the Palestinian state at this summit, a move mirrored by several other leaders.
According to Richard Gowan, UN Director at the International Crisis Group, the declaration is meaningful as it provides states supporting the Palestinians with a means to deflect accusations of implicitly supporting Hamas, acting as a “shield against Israeli criticism.”
The New York Declaration also proposes a “temporary international stabilization mission” to Gaza, operating under a UN Security Council mandate, to support the civilian population and assist the Palestinian Authority in assuming security responsibilities.
Currently, approximately three-quarters of the 193 UN member states recognize the Palestinian state, proclaimed in 1988. However, the declaration’s progress comes amidst growing concerns about the viability of a two-state solution, fueled by two years of conflict in Gaza, expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and stated intentions by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to annex the territory. Netanyahu recently affirmed, “We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state.”
Furthermore, palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may be unable to attend the upcoming UN summit, as US authorities have indicated thay will deny him a visa.
