Israel slams UNGA support for Palestinian statehood, calls it a 'prize for terror'

New York: The Israeli Foreign Ministry has condemned the UN General Assembly's declaration in support of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling the vote a disgrace, and said the recognition of a Palestinian state was a "prize for terror."

Earlier in the day, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favour of the declaration initiated by France and Saudi Arabia calling to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 142 countries voted in favour, 10 against, and 12 abstained, reports Times of Israel.

"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, with the Foreign Office calling it a disgrace.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Omer Mamorstein, slamming the verdict of the Friday session took to X and wrote: "Israel utterly rejects the decision of the UN General Assembly.

"Once again, it has been proven how much the General Assembly is a political circus detached from reality: in the dozens of clauses of the declaration endorsed by this resolution, there is not a single mention that Hamas is a terrorist organisation.

"There is no reference to the simple fact that Hamas is solely responsible for the continuation of the war, through its refusal to return the hostages and disarm. The resolution does not advance a solution of peace — on the contrary, it encourages Hamas to continue the war. Israel thanks all the countries that did not lend their hand to this disgraceful decision in the General Assembly."

The United States likewise opposing the vote, called it "yet another misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt" that undermined serious diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

"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 the short and long term."

However, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot defended the resolution, arguing that it secured the international isolation of Hamas, as the terror group was no longer party to a future Palestinian state.

"For the first time today, the United Nations adopted a text condemning it for its crimes and calling for its surrender and disarmament," he wrote on X.

Despite the verdict, the establishment of a Palestinian state seems more unlikely than ever, as the two-year-war has destroyed all infrastructure in Gaza, as the IDF continues to move ahead with its plans to annexe the whole Strip, with 80% of it already under its control.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday greenlit the E-1 construction project, which will see Israeli settlements established in the West Bank, dividing East and West Jerusalem, thus rendering the creation of a Palestinian state impossible.

Netanyahu, who greenlit the bill in opposition to the move by countries such as France, the UK, Belgium, Australia, Canada to recognise Palestine, had said "There will be no Palestinian state."