UN General Assembly votes for draft resolution on two-state solution

New York: The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday in favor of a draft resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on implementing the tw...

New York: The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday in favor of a draft resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent Palestinian state. A total of 142 countries voted in favor of the resolution, 10 voted against, and 12 abstained. The State of Palestine welcomed the overwhelming majority vote to adopt the New York Declaration and its annexes, describing it as the key outcome of the UN Conference on a Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the implementation of the two-state solution. The conference was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, and this resolution marks the first adopted during the General Assembly’s 80th session. In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates praised Saudi Arabia and France for leading the international conference and for their important efforts to turn the New York Declaration into a concrete action plan with clear political, economic, legal, and security steps. The ministry also expressed gratitude to all the countries that sponsored, supported, and voted in favor of the resolution, making the New York Declaration an official UN document. It called on all states to implement the outcomes of the international conference, to pressure Israel as the occupying power to halt its aggression, ceasefire, end the use of starvation as a weapon of war, prevent forced displacement, and release prisoners and hostages. The ministry further urged countries to activate all available mechanisms to end Israel’s colonial occupation, secure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and implement the two-state solution as the only viable path to counter ongoing crimes, colonialism, and aggression