The United Nations General Assembly on Friday voted to adopt the “New York Declaration”, which sets out "tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps" towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without involving Hamas in the process.

India was among the 142 nations that voted in favour of the declaration, while 10 voted against it and 12 abstained. The United States and Israel were opposed to the move, joined by Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga.

The seven-page text, officially titled the “New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”, was endorsed and co-signed by 17 UN member states in July at a conference hosted by Saudi Arabia and France. The United States and Israel boycotted the conference.

The declaration aims to promote peace, security and stability in the Middle East, which has faced conflict since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. It strongly condemns Hamas and calls on the group to surrender its weapons, while also condemning Israeli attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including siege and starvation, "which have resulted in a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and protection crisis."

The text calls for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine “to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and all peoples of the region.” It also states that “Gaza is an integral part of a Palestinian State and must be unified with the West Bank. There must be no occupation, siege, territorial reduction, or forced displacement.”

It condemns Hamas for its October 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians and for taking hostages, and describes the “forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population” as a “flagrant violation of International humanitarian law". The declaration demands that Hamas release all Israeli hostages and also calls for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. To ensure a peaceful two-state solution, it further urges Hamas to “end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the resolution, saying it marked the international isolation of Hamas. “For the first time today, the United Nations adopted a text condemning it for its crimes and calling for its surrender and disarmament,” he wrote in a post on X.

The vote comes ahead of a high-level UN summit scheduled for September 22 in New York, which will be co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to formally recognise the Palestinian state during the summit, while Britain, Canada, Australia and Belgium are also expected to extend recognition.

The United States described the vote as "yet another misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt" that undermined serious diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. "Make no mistake, this resolution is a gift to Hamas," U.S. diplomat Morgan Ortagus told the General Assembly. "Far from promoting peace, the conference has already prolonged the war, emboldened Hamas and harmed the prospects of peace in both the short and long term."

Israel dismissed the declaration as biased and political theatre. "The only beneficiary is Hamas …When terrorists are the ones cheering, you are not advancing peace, you are advancing terror," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said. Israeli officials called the decision by the General Assembly "disgraceful" and said it would encourage Hamas to continue the war in Gaza.

The October 7 Hamas assault on Israel killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. More than 64,000 people, also mostly civilians, have since been killed in Gaza during the war, according to local health authorities.