ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The United Nations General Assembly on Friday voted to adopt the New York Declaration, which calls for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the removal of Hamas from power.

The initiative, led by France and Saudi Arabia, was adopted with an overwhelming 142 votes in favor, while 10 nations voted against the move, including the US and Israel, with another 12 abstaining.

The 42-article resolution, drafted in late July, calls for an end to the war in Gaza, condemns the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, and aims to achieve a settlement based on a two-state solution to the outstanding, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The adoption comes ahead of a General Assembly meeting later in September, where numerous countries, including Britain and France, are poised to recognize the State of Palestine.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein slammed the resolution’s adoption. The UN General Assembly had become “a political circus detached from reality,” said Marmorstein, adding that Israel “utterly rejects the declaration.”

"There is no reference to the simple fact that Hamas is solely responsible for the continuation of the war through its refusal to return the hostages and disarm," Marmorstein wrote on X.

The Declaration asserts that "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."

The US, one of the few nations that voted against, described the resolution as “yet another misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt,” describing the move as “a gift to Hamas.”

“The United States will not participate in this insult to the victims of October 7, but we will continue to lead real-world efforts to end the fighting and to deliver a permanent peace,” said US Counselor Morgan Ortagus in an address to the Assembly.

The Palestinian Mission to UN, meanwhile, welcomed the resolution's passing, writing on X: "The world chooses peace. Palestine chooses peace." 

French President Emmanuel Macron similarly voiced his optimism regarding the prospects for a two-state solution, saying that "another future is possible. Two peoples, two States : Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. Let's make it happen!"

Israel's lengthy and destructive military campaign in Gaza, as well as the tightening of humanitarian corridors and restriction of aid entering the Strip, has sparked uproar, with many European countries previously considered strong allies of Israel undergoing a salient tone shift in their rhetoric toward the conflict, increasingly voicing exasperated criticism of and frustration with Tel Aviv's actions.

In a joint statement earlier in July, the foreign ministers of 30 countries, including the UK, called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children.”

139 countries, including several from Europe, have already recognized a Palestinian state. Ireland, Norway, and Spain announced that they would recognize the State of Palestine in May 2024, resulting in Israel withdrawing their ambassadors from the three countries in protest.

The Israeli campaign has claimed the lives of nearly 65,000 Palestinians since October 7. 2023, and wounded more than 160,000 others, according to Gaza's health ministry.