PH backs UN resolution on 2-state solution on Palestine, Israel
Men and children search through debris in the yard of the Asma school run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in the Shati camp for Palestinian refugees west of Gaza City, in the aftermath of overnight Israeli bombardment on June 25, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government has voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution backing the implementation of the two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel question.
The resolution, adopted on Sept. 12, garnered 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions.
Israel voted against it, alongside nine others – Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, and the United States.
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The resolution endorses the New York Declaration, issued during an international conference in July, which calls for the immediate end of war in Gaza and the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the “effective implementation” of the two-state solution.
Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN Danny Danon had described the declaration as “one-sided” that would “not be remembered as a step toward peace, only as another hollow gesture that weakens this Assembly’s credibility.”
Ahead of the vote, he said that “Hamas is the biggest winner of any endorsement here today” and will declare it “the fruit of 7 October.”
At the July 30 international conference that produced the declaration, Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Antonio Lagdameo expressed Manila’s support for initiatives that could establish “a definitive path” to peace.
“The Philippines affirms its readiness to form part of UN-led peacekeeping and/or humanitarian contingent in Gaza, contributing peacekeepers, teachers, and/or medical workers,” Lagdameo said.
“The Philippines reiterates its enduring support and cooperation as we work together and commit to ending war, upholding justice, respecting human rights, promoting sustainable development, and maintaining international peace and security.”
