Nigeria on Friday joined 141 other countries in endorsing the New York Declaration on a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Applause echoed through the General Assembly Hall as member states backed the declaration, which calls for a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question and the implementation of a two-state solution with Israel.
The declaration is the outcome of an international conference convened in July at the UN Headquarters by France and Saudi Arabia, with discussions set to resume later this month.
Out of the UN’s 193 member states, 142 voted in favour of the resolution. Israel rejected it, alongside nine other countries – Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States – while 12 nations abstained.
Ahead of the vote, French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont stressed that the New York Declaration “lays out a single roadmap to deliver the two-State solution.”
That roadmap includes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, the creation of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, normalisation of relations between Israel and Arab countries, and collective security guarantees.
However, Israel’s Ambassador Danny Danon dismissed the move, describing it as “one-sided.” He argued that the declaration would be remembered “only as another hollow gesture that weakens this Assembly’s credibility,” adding that “Hamas is the biggest winner of any endorsement here today” and would claim it as “the fruit of 7th October.”
The July high-level conference was convened amid the ongoing war in Gaza and growing concerns over the future of the two-state solution.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated the centrality of the proposal, saying:
“The central question for Middle East peace is implementation of the two-State solution, where two independent, sovereign, democratic States – Israel and Palestine – live side by side in peace and security.”
