UN general assembly to vote on Hamas-free Palestinian framework

The United Nations General Assembly is set to vote on Friday, September 12, 2025, on the "New York Declaration," a pivotal resolution aimed at revitalizing the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while explicitly sidelining Hamas from Gaza's governance. Presented by France and Saudi Arabia, the declaration formally titled the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution marks a significant diplomatic push amid ongoing violence in Gaza, now nearly two years after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attacks that killed over 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostages. Endorsed by the Arab League and initially co-signed by 17 UN member states in July 2025, including Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, it has since garnered broader support, with over 90 nations backing it by early September, including recent joiners like China and Germany.

The declaration emerged from a high-level international conference held in New York from July 28-30, 2025, co-chaired by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. Authorized by UN General Assembly Resolution 79/81 in December 2024, the event was postponed from June due to escalating regional tensions, including the Iran-Israel war. It convened representatives from 42 countries, the European Union, and the Arab League, focusing on eight working groups addressing political, security, humanitarian, economic, and legal dimensions of the conflict. The resulting 7-page document outlines a "tangible, time-bound, and irreversible" roadmap for peace, emphasizing the two-state solution based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital, and mutual recognition between Israel and a sovereign Palestinian state.

Central to the text is an unequivocal condemnation of Hamas's October 7 atrocities: "The UN General Assembly condemns the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October." It demands the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages estimated at around 100, including deceased remains and an end to hostilities in Gaza. Beyond condemnation, the declaration seeks to dismantle Hamas's control entirely, stating: "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." This aligns with the Palestinian Authority's (PA) "One State, One Government, One Law, One Gun" policy, backed by a disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) process involving international partners.

The framework calls for collective international action to enforce a ceasefire, facilitate Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza, ensure unfettered humanitarian access, and reject any territorial or demographic changes, including forced displacement, which it deems violations of international humanitarian law. It supports PA governance over Gaza and the West Bank, with a temporary UN peacekeeping mission to provide security during the transition. Reconstruction efforts would prioritize economic viability for Palestine, including access to regional trade corridors, while addressing Israel's security concerns through demilitarization of the Palestinian state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's June 9, 2025, letter endorsing Hamas's disarmament and exclusion from governance was explicitly welcomed, signaling PA commitment to reforms despite internal challenges like corruption.

Reactions have been polarized. Israel, which boycotted the July conference, has decried the initiative as rewarding terrorism, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arguing it undermines peace by pressuring Israel without reciprocal concessions from Palestinians. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar echoed this, warning that recognizing Palestine now would entrench divisions. Hamas, meanwhile, has rejected the declaration outright, with leaders in Doha insisting on their role in any future government, potentially invoking the 2024 Beijing Declaration for unity with the PA. Pro-Palestinian voices, including in the UN, praise it as a step toward self-determination, citing the International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion affirming the illegality of Israel's occupation.

Complicating matters, the U.S. under President Donald Trump has revoked visas for Abbas and over 80 PA and PLO officials, citing national security and the PA's "lawfare" at international courts, which it claims bolsters Hamas. This prompted a UNGA vote on September 7, 2025, to relocate the session from New York to Geneva (154-2, with U.S. and Israel dissenting), underscoring fractures in multilateralism. The U.S. has engaged in parallel talks on Gaza reconstruction, including a technocratic government and Hamas disarmament, to avert a UN rift.

The vote precedes a September 22 summit in New York, co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged formal recognition of Palestine, potentially joined by Belgium, Malta, and conditionally by the UK, Canada, and Australia bringing recognition to around 150 states. UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed the declaration as a "concrete action plan" but warned that without enforcement, it risks becoming "empty promises." As the Assembly convenes amid Gaza's humanitarian crisis over 41,000 Palestinian deaths reported the outcome could either galvanize global momentum for peace or expose deepening divides, testing the viability of the two-state paradigm in a volatile region.