The General Assembly also overwhelmingly supported disarming the militant group and making it cede control of Gaza
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly supported a resolution on Friday calling for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine without the involvement of Hamas.
The declaration calls for a lasting settlement to the Gaza war on the basis of separate states. It also calls for the militant group Hamas to be disarmed and excluded from governance in the enclave.
The non-binding measure passed with 142 votes in favor, 10 against and 12 abstentions, with Ukraine supporting it and Israel and the US opposing.
#BREAKING UN General Assembly ADOPTS resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution
This UNGA resolution is the strongest-worded to date, calling outright for Hamas to cede control of Gaza, which it has ruled for nearly two decades. Hamas came to power when it beat Fatah in the 2006 election and took full control after the two factions clashed in open conflict the following year.
In prior decisions, the UN had limited itself to condemning the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, in which the militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostages back to Gaza.
The subsequent Israeli siege of Gaza has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians to date, according to local health authorities, and produced a devastating humanitarian situation in the enclave, leading to mounting international pressure on Israel to end its campaign.
Multiple countries have since condemned the war and recognized Palestinian statehood. At the upcoming UNGA session on September 22, Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium are expected to follow suit and formally recognize the Palestinian state.
Moscow views a two-state solution as the only way to deescalate and end the Gaza war. As the legal successor to the Soviet Union, Russia has long recognized Palestinian statehood.
