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JEDDAH: With the historic adoption by the UN General Assembly of the New York Declaration on the Palestinian issue, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said it is now incumbent on all states to move to carry out the measures contained in the document.

The declaration, which calls for a two-state solution and a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, won the UNGA’s overwhelming support on Friday.

Co-sponsored by �������� and France, the resolution passed with 142 countries voting in favor, 10 against and 12 abstaining.

“The widespread endorsement constitutes an international consensus and commitment to work towards the establishment of a Palestinian state, ending the Israeli occupation, and achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region,” the OIC said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

The statement called on all states to assume their responsibilities and immediately move to implement the measures contained in the declaration, including full recognition of the State of Palestine and support for its full membership in the United Nations.

The statement also urged countries to put “pressure on Israel, the occupying force, to halt its crimes of occupation, aggression, settlement, displacement, destruction, and starvation against the Palestinian people.”

For its part, the 57-nation Muslim organization affirmed its commitment to working and cooperating with all international parties to ensure the implementation of the declaration, particularly on the establishment of an independent state on the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The OIC commended the pioneering role played by �������� and France in co-chairing the conference and their joint efforts in mobilizing support for the adoption and drafting of the final document.

UN members that voted ’no’

Of the UNGA’s 193 member states, the ten countries that voted against it were Israel, the United States, Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga.

Those that abstained were Albania, Czech Republic, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guatemala, Moldova, North Macedonia, Samoa, and South Sudan.

The vote comes ahead of a meeting of world leaders on September 22 — on the sidelines of the high-level UN General Assembly — where Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

In opposing the resolution, Israel and the US reasoned that it would only further embolden the Palestinian Hamas militant movement.

“Make no mistake, this resolution is a gift to Hamas,” US diplomat Morgan Ortagus told the General Assembly. “Far from promoting peace, the conference has already prolonged the war, emboldened Hamas and harmed the prospects of peace in both short and long term.”

Israel, which has long criticized the UN for not condemning Hamas by name for the October 7 attacks, dismissed the declaration as one-sided and described the vote as theater.

“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 surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 — which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and netter 251 hostages — sparked the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza. Aside from destroying almost every structure in the Palestinian enclave, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 64,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Proponents of the resolution, however, argue that the declaration condemns the attacks against Israel by Hamas attack that  triggered the war in Gaza.

It also condemns the attacks by Israel against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, siege and starvation, “which have resulted in a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and protection crisis.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the resolution secured the international isolation of Hamas.

“For the first time today, the United Nations adopted a text condemning it for its crimes and calling for its surrender and disarmament,” he said in an X post.

(With Agencies)

ADEN, Yemen: Israel’s deadly airstrikes this week targeting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have damaged residential areas in the country’s capital of Sanaa, leaving many houses in ruins and residents without help from authorities and unable to afford repairs on their own.
Wednesday’s strikes killed 46 people — including 11 women and five children — and wounded 165, according to a toll released late Thursday by the rebel-run health ministry in Sanaa. Most of the casualties were in Sanaa. Rebel officials said 11 local journalists were also killed in the strikes.
The strikes followed a drone launched by the Houthi rebels that breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern Israeli airport, blowing out glass windows and injuring one person.
In yemen, a military headquarters and a Sanaa fuel station were also hit, the rebels said previously, as well as a government facility in the city of Hazm, the capital of northern Jawf province. The National Museum of Yemen was also damaged, according to the rebels’ culture ministry, with footage from the site showings damage to the building’s façade.
In Sanaa, where Yemen’s yearslong civil war has impoverished many, residents told The Associated Press they cannot afford any major repairs and that the local authorities are not offering compensation or help with reconstruction.
Dozens of homes in Sanaa’s central Tahrir area were damaged. One of the residents from there, Um Talal, said she has no faith the authorities will help repair the house where she lives with her daughter and two sons.
The airstrikes knocked out their living room walls and damaged the kitchen, leaving dirt, debris and rubble, speaking to The Associated Press over the phone.
“Everything was lost in the blink of an eye,” she said. “Authorities haven’t even called us to this day. ”
Despite the destruction, she said the family will fix what they can and continue living in their home.
Another resident, Ahmed Al-Wasabi, said he and his family — luckily — were not home when one of the airstrikes partially destroyed their house.
“The explosions terrified people who went running and children and women were crying and screaming,” said Khaled Al-Dabeai, a grocery shop owner who added that the force of the explosions knocked products off his shelves.
Israel has previously launched waves of airstrikes in response to the Houthis’ firing missiles and drones at Israel. The Houthis say they are supporting Hamas and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
Houthi leader Mahdi Al-Mashat vowed on Wednesday to continue the attacks, warning Israelis to “stay alarmed since the response is coming for sure.”