New York Declaration: What next for Israel as world leaders intensify two-state push

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 22, 2025. [AFP] With Gaza lying in ruins as Israel continues to launch a major ground offensive, attention is now drawn to the ongoing 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and Israel, fought since October 7, 2023, as part of the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian and Gaza-Israel conflicts dating back to the 20th century. On the fateful day of October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel, in which 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 815 civilians, were killed, and 251 taken hostage with the stated goal of forcing Israel to release Palestinian prisoners. Since the start of the Israeli offensive that followed, over 65,382 people have been killed and more than 166,985 others injured. And on Monday, France, Belgium, and several other countries joined the growing list of nations that have recognised the State of Palestine during a high-level UN meeting on the two-state solution. Malta, Monaco, and Luxembourg also announced their recognition at the meeting, bringing the number of countries to over 150 that have recognised the State of Palestine out of 193 UN member states. President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that France recognises the State of Palestine at the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on the opening day of the UN General Assembly (UNGA)'s High-level Week. Warning that "We have reason to fear that the Abraham Accords and the Camp David Accords could be called into question by Israel, and that peace would become impossible for a long time yet in the Middle East," Macron stressed the need to do everything "within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security." Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the two-state solution "is the only way to achieve a just and permanent peace." The recognition of the State of Palestine by France and many other countries, as well as the broad support for the adoption of the New York Declaration, reflects the international community's will to "render justice to the Palestinian people and consider their legal historic right" in line with international frameworks, UN resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, he said. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas giving a speech by video conference before the United Nations General Assembly gathering in New York City, from his headquarters in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on September 22, 2025. [AFP] Speaking via videoconference, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the historic New York Declaration "marked the beginning of an irreversible path toward ending the humanitarian catastrophe and ending occupation," calling it "the embodiment of an independent State of Palestine." He expressed appreciation to all countries that have recognized the State of Palestine and called on those who have not yet done so to follow suit. Noting Palestine's readiness to work with the United States, Saudi Arabia, France, the United Nations, and all partners to implement the peace plan adopted at the conference, Abbas called on Israel to immediately sit at the negotiating table "to put an end to this bloodshed and bring about a just and comprehensive peace." How did it get here? On September 12, 2025, applause rang out in the UN General Assembly Hall as countries endorsed a declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-state solution with Israel. The New York Declaration is the outcome of an international conference held in July at UN Headquarters, organised by France and Saudi Arabia, where 142 Member States voted in favour of a resolution backing the document. Israel and its biggest supporter, the United States, alongside Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga voted against the resolution. Some 12 other countries abstained from the vote. Prior to the vote, French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont told the Assembly that the New York Declaration "lays out a single roadmap to deliver the two-state solution." This, according to the UN, involves an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release of all hostages held there, and the establishment of a Palestinian State that is both viable and sovereign. The two-state Solution outlines political, humanitarian, and security steps to be taken on a time-bound and irreversible basis. The roadmap further calls for the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, normalisation between Israel and the Arab countries, as well as collective security guarantees. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 22, 2025. [AFP] Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, while opposing the move, said the one-sided Declaration will not be remembered as a step toward peace but only as another hollow gesture that weakens the UN General Assembly's credibility. "Hamas is the biggest winner of any endorsement here today," the ambassador said, adding that Hamas will declare it "the fruit of 7 October." The high-level international conference in July was held against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and deteriorating prospects for the Two-State solution. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his remarks, noted that "the central question for Middle East peace is implementation of the two-State solution, where two independent, sovereign, democratic States - Israel and Palestine - live side-by-side in peace and security." "A one-State reality where Palestinians are denied equal rights and forced to live under perpetual occupation and inequality? A one-State reality where Palestinians are expelled from their land? That is not peace. That is not justice. And that is not acceptable," he said. On Sunday, Guterres reiterated that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had gone unresolved for generations. "Dialogue has faltered. Resolutions have been flouted. International law has been breached," warning that "the situation is intolerable, and it is deteriorating by the hour," he said. His remarks were echoed by Annalena Baerbock, president of the 80th UNGA session, who said the General Assembly has been very clear: "We need an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza." According to her, Israel must immediately facilitate the full, rapid, safe, and unhindered entry and delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians. Hamas must immediately and unconditionally release all hostages. She emphasized that the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved by endless war, permanent occupation, and recurrent terror, adding that the only way to ensure that future generations of both Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace, security, and dignity is the two-state solution.

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