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Israel and the Palestinians ·

The New York Declaration and the wave of recognitions of the State of Palestine

A non-binding international declaration, together with decisions by states to recognise the State of Palestine — not an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, and not a change in control on the ground.

In 30 seconds

In 2024 and 2025 a series of states, among them France and the United Kingdom, recognised the State of Palestine. A conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia drafted the New York Declaration, and the General Assembly endorsed it on 12 September 2025 by 142 votes to 10. Israel and the United States rejected it.

Where it stands today

As of October 2026 the declaration remains an outline that Israel does not accept4, and no sovereign Palestinian state exists on the ground. According to Security Council Report, elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council are scheduled for 28 November 20267.

In one sentence

To rally an international majority behind tangible steps towards a sovereign Palestinian state beside Israel, and to state that Hamas would have no part in it.

The challenge

The declaration was drafted during the war in Gaza, which began after the Hamas-led brutal terrorist attack of 7 October 2023, and at a time when no permanent-status negotiations were under way; see the Gaza ceasefire.

Many states had recognised Palestine since the PLO's declaration of independence in Algiers on 15 November 1988, and in 2012 the General Assembly upgraded its status to non-member observer state. Most Western states had until then held back from recognition1.

The road there

  1. Spain, Ireland and Norway recognise the State of Palestine; Al Jazeera then counts 146 recognising states. Israel recalls its envoys from the three countries1.
  2. A high-level international conference opens in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, and runs until 30 July2.
  3. The General Assembly endorses the declaration: 142 in favour, 10 against, 12 abstentions2.
  4. France recognises the State of Palestine; Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, San Marino and the United Kingdom also recognise it3.

What was proposed

  • Tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps towards an independent, sovereign and democratic State of Palestine living side by side with Israel in peace and security2.
  • An immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages2.
  • Hamas to end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority; the Authority to lead reforms and elections42.
  • Condemnation of the Hamas-led brutal terrorist attack of 7 October, of Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza and of starvation resulting from the siege2.
  • A solution based on the 1967 lines, rejection of any reduction of the territory and of construction in the E1 area, normalisation between Israel and the Arab states, and international security guarantees2.

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The geography

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Schematic map of Israel and its neighbours with line typesMediterranean SeaGulf of AqabaGulf of SuezEGYPTSinaiISRAELJORDANSYRIALEBANONSAUDI ARABIAWest BankGaza StripGolan HeightsJerusalemTel AvivGazaRamallahAmmanCairoDamascusBeirutSharm el-SheikhEilat · Aqaba · TabaRafahNaharayim / BaquraSuez

Choose a country on the map or in the list. Use + and − to zoom. On touch screens, enable gestures to drag and pinch; scroll the page outside the map. Keyboard: arrows to pan, + and − to zoom, Home to reset.

Layers · Legend
  • International boundary agreed in a peace treaty
  • Treaty line with Jordan, “without prejudice to the status” of the territory beyond it
  • 1949 armistice line (“Green Line”) — not an agreed final border
  • “Blue Line” — UN line of withdrawal (2000), not a border
  • Ceasefire / disengagement line with Syria (1974)
  • Other international boundary
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip: permanent status not agreed
  • Golan Heights: held by Israel since 1967; annexation not recognised by the UN
  • UN area of separation (UNDOF)

Classification follows the original research as of 7 Oct 2026. This schematic map is not a legal boundary map or a live update.

  • International boundary agreed in a peace treaty
  • Treaty line with Jordan, “without prejudice to the status” of the territory beyond it
  • 1949 armistice line (“Green Line”) — not an agreed final border
  • “Blue Line” — UN line of withdrawal (2000), not a border
  • Ceasefire / disengagement line with Syria (1974)
  • Other international boundary
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip: permanent status not agreed
  • Golan Heights: held by Israel since 1967; annexation not recognised by the UN
  • UN area of separation (UNDOF)

Schematic map. Lines are approximate and are not a legal determination. Data: Natural Earth (public domain), 1:10m scale; line classification and place names by this site. Lines as of October 2026. Peace map

The hard decisions

  • Ten states voted against: Israel, the United States, Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga4.
  • Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas committed himself, in a letter dated 9 June 2025, to holding general elections under international supervision within a year3.

Where accounts differ

According to The Israeli government
The Foreign Ministry said Israel utterly rejects the declaration, arguing that it ignores Hamas's responsibility for the continuation of the war through its refusal to release the hostages and to disarm4. Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said the only beneficiary of the vote was Hamas5.
According to The US administration
The US representative Morgan Ortagus said the resolution was a gift to Hamas, that it prolongs the war and that it undermines efforts to free the hostages and the diplomatic effort54.
According to France and the declaration's supporters
The declaration condemns the 7 October attack, demands that Hamas disarm and leave power in Gaza, and offers a path to peace and security for both peoples3.

What was carried out

  • The recognitions themselves took effect as each state's own diplomatic step3.
  • A ceasefire in Gaza took effect in October 2025 — under the US plan, not by virtue of the declaration6.

What was not

  • No sovereign Palestinian state has been established, and no permanent-status negotiations have opened. The US plan endorsed by the Security Council in November 2025 speaks only of conditions that may in future allow a credible pathway to self-determination and statehood6.

What remains open

  • Recognition changes diplomatic status, not reality on the ground: borders, security, Jerusalem, settlements and refugees remain without an agreement.
  • According to Security Council Report, in September 2026 Canada, France and the United Kingdom announced bans on imports of settlement goods and criticised the E1 construction project7.

Sources

  1. Press Al Jazeera · 22 May 2024
    Mapping which countries recognise Palestine in 2024
  2. Primary United Nations (UNISPAL) · 12 September 2025
    General Assembly Endorses New York Declaration, Charting Path to Palestinian Statehood — press release GA/12707
  3. Primary Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France
    Understanding France's recognition of the State of Palestine
  4. Press The Times of Israel · 12 September 2025
    UN overwhelmingly endorses call to establish Palestinian state without Hamas
  5. Press Fox News · 12 September 2025
    'Gift to Hamas': Trump administration blasts UN Palestinian statehood vote
  6. Primary United Nations (UNISPAL) · 17 November 2025
    Security Council resolution 2803 (2025) and the annexed Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict
  7. Research Security Council Report · October 2026
    The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question — October 2026 Monthly Forecast