Sri Lanka has welcomed the adoption of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on the peaceful settlement of the Question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism expressed appreciation to Saudi Arabia and France for their leadership in advancing the initiative. The ministry reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s unwavering support for the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to statehood, in line with the principles of the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions.
On Friday, the UNGA overwhelmingly voted in favor of the resolution, which outlines “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution. The declaration stemmed from an international conference hosted by Saudi Arabia and France in July. The United States and Israel boycotted the event.
The resolution received 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. It comes ahead of the September 22 high-level UNGA meeting, where Britain, France, and Australia are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
The seven-page declaration condemns the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, as well as Israel’s attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Gaza, including siege and starvation tactics, which it said have created a “devastating humanitarian catastrophe.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot hailed the resolution as securing the “international isolation of Hamas,” noting that it marked the first time the UN had adopted a text explicitly condemning the group for its crimes and calling for its surrender and disarmament.
The resolution was supported by all Gulf Arab states. Voting against it were Israel, the United States, Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga.
The declaration also called for an immediate end to the Gaza war and backed the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the UN Security Council.
The United States dismissed the resolution as “yet another misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt” that it said undermines genuine diplomatic efforts. U.S. diplomat Morgan Ortagus described it as “a gift to Hamas,” claiming it prolongs the conflict and weakens the prospects for peace.
Israel also criticized the declaration as one-sided. “The only beneficiary is Hamas… When terrorists are the ones cheering, you are not advancing peace; you are advancing terror,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said.
The October 7 Hamas attacks killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli figures. Since then, more than 64,000 people—also mostly civilians—have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
—With agencies’ inputs
