Albania abstains from the resolution to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestine

The UN General Assembly voted on Friday to support a resolution aimed at providing a new two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, without the involvement of Hamas.

The text was approved by 142 votes in favor, 10 against, including Israel and its main ally, the United States, and 12 abstentions. It clearly condemns Hamas and demands the surrender of its weapons.

Albania has maintained a neutral position during this vote by abstaining.

Although Israel has criticized UN bodies for nearly two years for their lack of condemnation of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the statement presented by France and Saudi Arabia leaves no ambiguity.

Officially called the “New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,” the text states that “Hamas must release all hostages” and that the UN General Assembly condemns “the attacks carried out by Hamas against civilians on October 7.”

It also calls for “collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution.”

The declaration, which had already been supported by the Arab League and was co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries, also aims to completely exclude Hamas from leadership in Gaza.

"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," the statement said.

Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed the decision, saying the resolution "expresses the international will to support the rights of our people and constitutes an important step towards ending the occupation and achieving our independent state."

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein condemned the vote, writing in X that Israel “categorically rejects” the statement, calling it evidence that the General Assembly had become “a political circus disconnected from reality.”

"Shield against criticism"

The vote precedes an upcoming UN summit co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris on September 22 in New York, where French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to formally recognize the Palestinian state.

“The fact that the General Assembly is finally supporting a text that directly condemns Hamas is significant,” even if “the Israelis will say it’s too little, too late,” Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

“Now at least the states that support the Palestinians can counter Israeli accusations that they indirectly endorse Hamas,” he added, saying this “provides a shield against Israeli criticism.”

In addition to Macron, several other leaders have announced their intention to officially recognize the Palestinian state during the UN summit.

These gestures are seen as a way to increase pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

The New York Declaration includes discussions on "sending an interim international stabilization mission" to the devastated region under the mandate of the UN Security Council, with the aim of supporting the Palestinian civilian population.

About three-quarters of the 193 UN member states recognize the Palestinian state, declared in 1988 by the exiled Palestinian leadership. However, two years of war have devastated the Gaza Strip, in addition to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the expressed desire by Israeli officials to annex the territory.

This has many fearing that the existence of an independent Palestinian state will soon become impossible. “We will fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may be prevented from visiting New York for the UN summit after US authorities said they would deny him a visa.