Centreline Report
NEW YORK: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly voted to endorse a declaration outlining “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of a meeting of world leaders.
The seven-page declaration is the result of an international conference at the UN in July — hosted by Saudi Arabia and France — on the decades-long conflict. The United States and Israel boycotted the event.
A resolution endorsing the declaration received 142 votes in favour and 10 against, while 12 countries abstained.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio, will fly to Israel this weekend amid tensions with fellow US allies in the Middle East over Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Friday that Rubio would depart on Saturday to visit Israel before joining up with Trump’s planned visit to Britain next week.
Rubio in Israel will emphasise Washington and Israel’s shared goals, Pigott said in a statement, citing the need to ensure Hamas never rules Gaza again and the return of hostages of October 7, 2023.
Rubio’s visit comes ahead of high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York later this month, where countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood.
