India on Friday joined 141 other nations in supporting a UN General Assembly resolution that endorsed the ‘New York Declaration’ on the peaceful settlement of the Palestine issue and the two-state solution. The declaration, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia at a high-level conference in July, was adopted with 142 votes in favour, 10 against and 12 abstentions.
Those opposing the resolution included the United States, Israel, Argentina and Hungary. The declaration urged collective action to end the war in Gaza, recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state, and a halt to Israeli settlement and annexation activities in occupied territories, while reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
The move marked an unusual show of unity between France and Saudi Arabia, historically regional rivals, though Washington dismissed the vote as a “publicity stunt” that it said risked emboldening Hamas.
“Recent developments have highlighted, once again and more than ever, the terrifying human toll and the grave implications for regional and international peace and security of the persistence of the Middle East conflict,” the declaration noted.
