UN General Assembly to vote on a Hamas-free Palestinian state

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The UN General Assembly will vote on Friday whether to back the “New York Declaration,” a resolution which seeks to breathe new life into the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine — without the involvement of Hamas.

Although Israel has criticized UN bodies for nearly two years over their failure to condemn Hamas’ attack on 7 October 2023, the declaration, presented by France and Saudi Arabia, leaves no ambiguity.

Formally called the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the text states “Hamas must free all hostages” and that the UN General Assembly condemns “the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October.”

It also calls for “collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the Two-State solution.”

The declaration, which was already endorsed by the Arab League and co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries, also goes further than condemning Hamas, seeking to fully excise them from leadership in Gaza.

“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State,” the declaration states.

The vote precedes an upcoming UN summit co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris on 22 September in New York, in which French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to formally recognize the Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, Israeli military operations killed 50 people in Gaza on Friday, the territory’s civil defense agency said, as the army stepped up its attacks on Gaza City.

The agency said 35 people were killed in the city on Friday, along with another 15 in other parts of the territory.

The Israeli military said it was continuing “its wide-scale strikes on terrorist infrastructure and high-rise structures” in Gaza City.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean Agence France-Presse is unable to independently verify the details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military.

Israel has said it intends to capture the territory’s largest urban center, which it describes as one of the last strongholds of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the Gaza war.

The UN and its member states have warned against the assault.