United Nations overwhelmingly adopts "New York Declaration" for two-state solution... Palestine welcomes it.

Arab Sea Newspaper - News Updates

Arabian Sea - Follow-ups: On Friday evening, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, by an overwhelming majority, a resolution endorsing the "New York Declaration" on the two-state solution, in a move described as historic towards establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The resolution was supported by 142 countries, opposed by 10 countries, and 12 abstained from voting. It stipulated condemnation of Israeli attacks against civilians and infrastructure in Gaza, the imposed siege and its resulting mass starvation, and also condemned the attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, stressing that the Gaza war "must end now." The declaration, spanning seven pages, was the result of an international conference hosted by Saudi Arabia and France last July. The list of international recognitions of the Palestinian state is scheduled to be completed during a joint conference on September 22 on the sidelines of the General Assembly meetings, while French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country's intention to recognize the State of Palestine during this session, which has been joined by more than 12 Western countries, reflecting a growing momentum in favor of recognition. In contrast, the Palestinian leadership welcomed the resolution, as Hussein Al-Sheikh, the Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister, affirmed that the vote "expresses the international will supporting the rights of the Palestinian people and constitutes an important step towards ending the occupation and embodying the independent state." The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also considered the resolution "the first of its kind in the 80th session of the General Assembly," calling for exerting pressure on Israel to stop its aggression and war crimes, end the policies of displacement and siege, and release prisoners and hostages. Although the resolutions of the General Assembly are not legally binding, observers see them as a powerful political and moral tool to enhance Israel's international isolation, especially with the continuation of its war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, which has resulted in more than 64,000 deaths and 164,000 injuries, most of them women and children, in addition to thousands of missing persons and hundreds of thousands of displaced persons in light of a suffocating siege that has caused a worsening famine.