The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted recently to support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The vote was 142-10 with 12 abstentions. The United States was one of the 10 states that voted against the non-binding resolution, known as the New York Declaration. It emerged from an international conference held at the United Nations in July 2025.
“The United States opposes the New York Declaration, as we opposed the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and the resolution that mandated it,” explained U.S. Counselor to the United Nations Morgan Ortagus.
“[General Assembly] action on the New York Declaration is yet another misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt that undermines serious diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Make no mistake – this resolution is a gift to Hamas. It is likewise cynical, transparently driven by the domestic politics rather than a serious foreign policy agenda.”
As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has noted, progress and negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire over the summer collapsed when one of the states organizing the conference encouraged Hamas’ intransigence by announcing its intention to recognize a conjectural Palestinian state.
“Far from promoting peace,” said Ms. Ortagus, “the conference has already prolonged the war, emboldened Hamas, and harmed the prospects of peace in both short and long term.”
“The United States will not participate in this insult to the victims of October 7, but we will continue to lead real-world efforts to end the fighting and to deliver a permanent peace. We should be focused on how to end the war and eliminate and disarm Hamas. This war could end tomorrow if Hamas was disarmed, released hostages, and surrendered. But Hamas continues to refuse.”
The New York Declaration is yet “another counterproductive gesture that only rewards Hamas, drags out the war, and undercuts the very diplomatic efforts to free the hostages and end the suffering in Gaza,” which it claims to support, warned Ms. Ortagus.
“The Declaration engages in disturbing moral equivalence and fails to recognize the reality that Hamas’ terrorism on October 7 was the reason this war was necessary, and its refusal to free the hostages and lay down its arms is the reason this war continues.”
That is why the United States voted against the New York Declaration.
US Votes No on UN New York Declaration
US Counselor to UN Morgan Ortegas, UNGA, September 12, 2025.
The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted recently to support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The vote was 142-10 with 12 abstentions. The United States was one of the 10 states that voted against the non-binding resolution, known as the New York Declaration.