The UN General Assembly will vote on Friday on a resolution drafted by France and Britain and backed by dozens of other states to endorse the outcome of a high-level conference on a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question and a two-state solution, diplomats said.
The resolution paves the way for a leaders’ summit on Sept. 22 during the annual gathering in New York, the 80th session of the General Assembly.
Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour said he expected overwhelming support for the text, which expresses “deep gratitude” to Saudi Arabia and France for co-chairing the conference and for drafting, with other working group leaders, the so-called New York Declaration on implementing the two-state solution.
The draft resolution recalls the assembly’s commitment to “a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East,” including through a final document charting “an urgent, irreversible path” to resolving the conflict and establishing two states.
Mansour told Asharq Al-Awsat that the upcoming summit would not be affected by the US decision to revoke visas for Palestinian delegates, preventing their entry to attend the General Assembly. He said the move contravened Washington’s obligations as UN host country under Section 11 of the UN headquarters agreement.
“The US steps backfired,” Mansour said, arguing they boosted sympathy for the Palestinians and swayed hesitant governments toward practical measures, including recognition of a Palestinian state. He cited Denmark and Greece as moving closer than ever to recognition.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to lead the delegation and address the assembly, either in person if Washington reverses its decision, or remotely as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did two years ago during the war with Russia.
“The big elephant in the room is Palestine, which will be present in every discussion this year,” Mansour said. He predicted world leaders’ speeches would echo the summit’s final statement that “the first mission of the world” is to halt what Palestinians call a campaign of genocide in Gaza, stop the fighting and allow humanitarian aid into the enclave and other occupied territories.
Mansour said consultations with governments and international bodies had generated “enormous momentum” ahead of the summit on steps ranging from a ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank, to recognition of Palestine, to ending Israel’s “illegal occupation” in line with International Court of Justice findings.
So far, 89 countries and regional organizations have formally endorsed the two-state conference, Mansour said. Britain and France introduced the resolution on Sept. 12 to enshrine its outcome in UN decisions. He noted that 149 states currently recognize Palestine, including France, with another 10 signaling readiness, bringing the total close to 160.
He recalled that when Washington vetoed full UN membership for Palestine in the Security Council, the issue was moved to the General Assembly under the “Uniting for Peace” procedure, where support was overwhelming.
“Quantitative accumulation reaches a qualitative transformation at some point,” Mansour said, predicting a shift toward wider recognition of Palestinian statehood.
