Israel rejects UN two-state vote on Palestinian statehood, calls it political circus

Israel on Friday dismissed a United Nations General Assembly resolution that overwhelmingly endorsed a declaration urging “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Once again, it has been proven how much the General Assembly is a political circus detached from reality: in the dozens of clauses of the declaration endorsed by this resolution, there is not a single mention that Hamas is a terrorist organisation,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said in a post on X.

The resolution, backed by 142 member states with 10 voting against and 12 abstaining, comes ahead of a September 22 meeting of world leaders on the sidelines of the high-level UN General Assembly, where countries including Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium are expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state.

The seven-page declaration originated from an international conference hosted by Saudi Arabia and France in July, which both Israel and the United States boycotted. It condemns the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, while also denouncing Israel’s strikes on civilians and infrastructure in Gaza, its siege and restrictions on aid, and the resulting humanitarian crisis.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the text marked a turning point, noting, “For the first time today, the United Nations adopted a text condemning (Hamas) for its crimes and calling for its surrender and disarmament.” All Gulf Arab states supported the resolution.

The United States, which joined Israel in voting against it along with Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay and a handful of Pacific nations, criticised the move as “a misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt.” US diplomat Morgan Ortagus told the assembly the measure was “a gift to Hamas” that would embolden militants and undercut peace efforts.

Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon dismissed the declaration as one-sided theatre: “The only beneficiary is Hamas When terrorists are the ones cheering, you are not advancing peace; you are advancing terror.”

According to Israeli figures, Hamas’ October 7 assault killed 1,200 people and took about 251 hostages. Local health authorities in Gaza say more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

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With inputs from Reuters