ORBIS

General Assembly vote · September 12, 2025

How countries voted on the New York Declaration on a two-state solution

On September 12, 2025 the General Assembly endorsed the New York Declaration, a non-binding decision, by 142 votes to 10 with 12 abstentions. Put forward by France and Saudi Arabia, it backs a Palestinian state alongside Israel, says the war in Gaza must end now, calls on Israel to halt settlement, and says Hamas, the armed group that took control of Gaza in 2007, must hand its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, the government in parts of the West Bank. Israel and the United States voted against it.

Decision A/DEC/80/506 · UN Digital Library · Updated October 2026

Yes
142
No
10
Abstained
12
Didn't vote
29

Adopted: it needed more yes votes than no votes, and abstentions count for neither side.

World map of how each country voted on The New York Declaration on two states, September 12, 2025
  • Yes
  • No
  • Abstained
  • Didn't vote
  • Not a UN member

Which countries voted against?

The United States and Israel were joined by Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay and five Pacific island states. Paraguay said the process lacked the support of one of the two states, Israel, and the other seven gave no public reason.

How did the big powers vote?

How did each side argue its case?

Israel's ambassador Danny Danon called the declaration "a misuse of the Assembly to force by the back door what cannot stand at the negotiating table." He said it "rewards Hamas," "does not designate Hamas as a terrorist organization" and "dares to equate the release of Israeli hostages with the release of convicted terrorists."

US envoy Morgan Ortagus called it "a gift to Hamas" that "engages in disturbing moral equivalence" and is "transparently driven by domestic politics." She objected to the "so-called right of return," saying it would mean "the demographic end of Israel as a Jewish State."

France's ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said the declaration "sets out a unique road map to realize the two-State solution, thanks to major commitments made by the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries." Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the vote was "a way of saying that yes, we have a plan, we have a detailed road map for peace." He invited "the party that is still pushing the option of war and destruction" to "listen to the voice of reason." Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said the vote confirmed consensus on a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said of Hamas: "For the first time today, the United Nations adopted a text condemning it for its crimes." In 2023 two amendments condemning Hamas won majorities (88-55 and 84-62) but fell short of the two-thirds they needed.

Palestine at the General AssemblyKey votes since 1947
  • The partition planNov 1947 33 yes13 no10 abstained
  • Observer status for the PLONov 1974 95 yes17 no19 abstained
  • Acknowledging the proclamation of the State of PalestineDec 1988 104 yes2 no36 abstained
  • Non-member observer stateNov 2012 138 yes9 no41 abstained
  • Palestine's membership bidMay 2024 143 yes9 no25 abstained
  • The New York Declaration (this vote)Sep 2025 142 yes10 no12 abstained

Who abstained, and who didn't vote?

None of the 12 countries that abstained spoke in the meeting. Czechia's foreign ministry said the declaration was drafted without Israel. Guatemala's president Bernardo Arevalo said a procedural matter kept Guatemala from joining, and that Guatemala still recognizes Palestine.

Of the 29 countries that did not vote, four (Afghanistan, Bolivia, Sao Tome and Principe, Venezuela) had lost their vote over unpaid UN dues. Venezuela and Bolivia had even sponsored the text. Dominica, Grenada, Haiti and Honduras later told the Secretariat they had meant to vote yes. Iran did not vote but praised "the Palestinian people's steadfast resistance" after the vote and called for a "free and inclusive referendum" among Palestine's "original inhabitants, Muslims, Jews and Christians alike," a single vote for the whole territory rather than two states.

What happened after the vote?

The UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal recognized Palestine on September 21, 2025. France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco and Andorra announced recognition the next day at the resumed conference. Belgium's recognition is conditional. About 157 of 193 UN members had recognized Palestine by September 2025.

A ceasefire in Gaza under President Trump's plan took effect on October 10, 2025. On October 13, 2025 Hamas released the last 20 living hostages, and Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Security Council resolution 2803, adopted on November 17, 2025, authorized an International Stabilization Force. Unlike the declaration's proposed mission, the force does not require an invitation from the Palestinian Authority. As of late September 2026 it had not deployed.

In September 2026 Canada, France and the UK announced a ban on imports of settlement goods, and Israel ordered the UK consulate in East Jerusalem closed. Bids for tenders in E1, a planned settlement area east of Jerusalem that critics say would cut the West Bank in two, are due on October 19, 2026. On October 10, 2026 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas canceled the November 28, 2026 legislative election and set joint presidential and legislative elections for September 11, 2027. Both dates fall past the "within a year" commitment the declaration welcomed.

How did each region vote?

In Asia, 27 of 29 members voted yes. In the Middle East, 11 of 14 voted yes, with Israel the only no. In Africa, 38 of 54 voted yes, 4 abstained and 12 did not vote. Other no votes came from Oceania (5), the Americas (3) and Europe (1). Other abstentions came from Europe (4), Oceania (2) and the Americas (2).

Votes by regionSeptember 12, 2025
  • Europe47 countries 40 yes1 no4 abstained
  • Americas35 countries 22 yes3 no2 abstained
  • Asia29 countries 27 yes0 no0 abstained
  • Oceania14 countries 4 yes5 no2 abstained
  • Middle East14 countries 11 yes1 no0 abstained
  • Africa54 countries 38 yes0 no4 abstained

What does the declaration say?

  • The Assembly's decision thanked France and Saudi Arabia for the declaration and endorsed it.
  • The declaration condemned "the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October" and "the attacks by Israel against civilians in Gaza and civilian infrastructure, siege and starvation."
  • It said "The war in Gaza must end now" and called for "the release of all hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, the return of all remains, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza." It said Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.
  • It supported a temporary international stabilization mission to be deployed at the Palestinian Authority's invitation, under the aegis of the UN, with a mandate from the Security Council.
  • It backed two states "on the basis of the 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem" and welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's statement that the Palestinian state "should be the sole provider of security on its territory, but has no intention to be a militarized State," as long as it "benefits from international protection." It welcomed his commitment to elections within a year.
  • It called on "the Israeli leadership" to "immediately halt all settlement, land grabs and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem" and to "put an end to settlers' violence." Its signatories committed to "restrictive measures" against "violent extremist settlers and entities and individuals supporting illegal settlements."
  • It said normal relations among the region's states can come "only by ending the war in Gaza, releasing all hostages, ending occupation, rejecting violence and terror," creating a Palestinian state and "providing solid security guarantees for Israel and Palestine."
  • It called on Israelis and Palestinians to resume "negotiations in good faith" and backed "the indispensable role of UNRWA." It called recognition of Palestine "an essential and indispensable component" of two states but "a sovereign decision of each individual State," and reiterated "the right of return."

How did every country vote?

CountryRegionVote
AfghanistanAsiaDidn't vote
AlbaniaEuropeAbstained
AlgeriaAfricaYes
AndorraEuropeYes
AngolaAfricaYes
Antigua and BarbudaAmericasDidn't vote
ArgentinaAmericasNo
ArmeniaEuropeYes
AustraliaOceaniaYes
AustriaEuropeYes
AzerbaijanEuropeYes
BahamasAmericasYes
BahrainMiddle EastYes
BangladeshAsiaYes
BarbadosAmericasYes
BelarusEuropeYes
BelgiumEuropeYes
BelizeAmericasYes
BeninAfricaDidn't vote
BhutanAsiaDidn't vote
BoliviaAmericasDidn't vote
Bosnia and HerzegovinaEuropeYes
BotswanaAfricaYes
BrazilAmericasYes
BruneiAsiaYes
BulgariaEuropeYes
Burkina FasoAfricaYes
BurundiAfricaYes
CambodiaAsiaYes
CameroonAfricaAbstained
CanadaAmericasYes
Cape VerdeAfricaYes
Central African RepublicAfricaDidn't vote
ChadAfricaYes
ChileAmericasYes
ChinaAsiaYes
ColombiaAmericasYes
ComorosAfricaYes
Costa RicaAmericasYes
Côte d'IvoireAfricaYes
CroatiaEuropeYes
CubaAmericasYes
CyprusEuropeYes
CzechiaEuropeAbstained
DenmarkEuropeYes
DjiboutiAfricaYes
DominicaAmericasDidn't vote
Dominican RepublicAmericasYes
DR CongoAfricaAbstained
EcuadorAmericasAbstained
EgyptAfricaYes
El SalvadorAmericasYes
Equatorial GuineaAfricaDidn't vote
EritreaAfricaDidn't vote
EstoniaEuropeYes
EswatiniAfricaDidn't vote
EthiopiaAfricaAbstained
FijiOceaniaAbstained
FinlandEuropeYes
FranceEuropeYes
GabonAfricaYes
GambiaAfricaYes
GeorgiaEuropeDidn't vote
GermanyEuropeYes
GhanaAfricaYes
GreeceEuropeYes
GrenadaAmericasDidn't vote
GuatemalaAmericasAbstained
GuineaAfricaYes
Guinea-BissauAfricaDidn't vote
GuyanaAmericasYes
HaitiAmericasDidn't vote
HondurasAmericasDidn't vote
HungaryEuropeNo
IcelandEuropeYes
IndiaAsiaYes
IndonesiaAsiaYes
IranMiddle EastDidn't vote
IraqMiddle EastDidn't vote
IrelandEuropeYes
IsraelMiddle EastNo
ItalyEuropeYes
JamaicaAmericasYes
JapanAsiaYes
JordanMiddle EastYes
KazakhstanAsiaYes
KenyaAfricaYes
KiribatiOceaniaDidn't vote
KuwaitMiddle EastYes
KyrgyzstanAsiaYes
LaosAsiaYes
LatviaEuropeYes
LebanonMiddle EastYes
LesothoAfricaYes
LiberiaAfricaDidn't vote
LibyaAfricaYes
LiechtensteinEuropeYes
LithuaniaEuropeYes
LuxembourgEuropeYes
MadagascarAfricaDidn't vote
MalawiAfricaDidn't vote
MalaysiaAsiaYes
MaldivesAsiaYes
MaliAfricaYes
MaltaEuropeYes
Marshall IslandsOceaniaYes
MauritaniaAfricaYes
MauritiusAfricaYes
MexicoAmericasYes
MicronesiaOceaniaNo
MoldovaEuropeAbstained
MonacoEuropeDidn't vote
MongoliaAsiaYes
MontenegroEuropeYes
MoroccoAfricaYes
MozambiqueAfricaYes
MyanmarAsiaYes
NamibiaAfricaYes
NauruOceaniaNo
NepalAsiaYes
NetherlandsEuropeYes
New ZealandOceaniaYes
NicaraguaAmericasYes
NigerAfricaYes
NigeriaAfricaYes
North KoreaAsiaYes
North MacedoniaEuropeAbstained
NorwayEuropeYes
OmanMiddle EastYes
PakistanAsiaYes
PalauOceaniaNo
PanamaAmericasDidn't vote
Papua New GuineaOceaniaNo
ParaguayAmericasNo
PeruAmericasYes
PhilippinesAsiaYes
PolandEuropeYes
PortugalEuropeYes
QatarMiddle EastYes
Republic of the CongoAfricaYes
RomaniaEuropeYes
RussiaEuropeYes
RwandaAfricaYes
Saint Kitts and NevisAmericasYes
Saint LuciaAmericasYes
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesAmericasYes
SamoaOceaniaAbstained
San MarinoEuropeYes
São Tomé and PríncipeAfricaDidn't vote
Saudi ArabiaMiddle EastYes
SenegalAfricaYes
SerbiaEuropeYes
SeychellesAfricaYes
Sierra LeoneAfricaYes
SingaporeAsiaYes
SlovakiaEuropeYes
SloveniaEuropeYes
Solomon IslandsOceaniaYes
SomaliaAfricaYes
South AfricaAfricaYes
South KoreaAsiaYes
South SudanAfricaAbstained
SpainEuropeYes
Sri LankaAsiaYes
SudanAfricaYes
SurinameAmericasYes
SwedenEuropeYes
SwitzerlandEuropeYes
SyriaMiddle EastYes
TajikistanAsiaYes
TanzaniaAfricaYes
ThailandAsiaYes
Timor-LesteAsiaYes
TogoAfricaYes
TongaOceaniaNo
Trinidad and TobagoAmericasYes
TunisiaAfricaDidn't vote
TurkeyMiddle EastYes
TurkmenistanAsiaYes
TuvaluOceaniaDidn't vote
UgandaAfricaYes
UkraineEuropeYes
United Arab EmiratesMiddle EastYes
United KingdomEuropeYes
United StatesAmericasNo
UruguayAmericasYes
UzbekistanAsiaYes
VanuatuOceaniaDidn't vote
VenezuelaAmericasDidn't vote
VietnamAsiaYes
YemenMiddle EastYes
ZambiaAfricaDidn't vote
ZimbabweAfricaYes
All UN votes →
PalestineMay 2024 Palestine's bid for UN membership 143 yes9 no25 abstained Voted that Palestine qualifies to join the UN, and asked the Security Council to think again after a US veto. GazaJun 2025 Demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza 149 yes12 no19 abstained Demanded a permanent ceasefire and an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza, and repeated the call to free all hostages. PalestineNov 1947 The partition plan for Palestine 33 yes13 no10 abstained The UN General Assembly voted 33-13 to recommend dividing Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state.
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