On 12 September, the UN General Assembly adopted by an overwhelming majority the New York Declaration on the peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict and the implementation of the principle of coexistence of two states: Israel and Palestine. This was reported on the organisation’s official website. 142 UN member states voted in favour of the document. Only ten states voted against it, including Israel, the United States, Argentina and Hungary. Another 12 countries abstained.
The US and Israel did not attend the event, as their absence, as Reuters said, predetermined their opposition to the vote. The document condemns both the 7 October 2023 Israeli attack by Hamas militants and the response of the Israeli armed forces within the Gaza Strip, which resulted in a humanitarian crisis.
The finalized roadmap contains the following key points:
- an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip;
- the release of all Israeli hostages;
- the disarmament of Hamas and the removal of the movement from power in Gaza;
- the normalisation of Israel’s relations with Arab countries;
- provision of collective security guarantees.
The vote on the declaration took place on the eve of the UN General Assembly session, which is planned on 22 September, when world leaders will be addressing next steps to a Middle East peace agreement. Reuters reports that a number of Western countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Belgium, are to officially declare their recognition of the State of Palestine.
