Maldives votes in favour of New York declaration

Maldives has voted in favour of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, adopted at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The resolution was issued following a conference chaired by Saudi Arabia and France from July 28–30, and was tabled at the second session of the 80th UNGA held yesterday.

It was passed with the support of 142 member states, including Maldives, while 10 countries voted against and 12 abstained.

The declaration calls for a just and lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue and the establishment of an independent, economically sustainable, and democratic State of Palestine.

Following the adoption of the resolution, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, in a post on X, reiterated that Maldives will always advocate for an independent Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. He stressed that the declaration is an important step in resolving the Palestinian issue and highlighted the need for collective international action to ensure accountability and strengthen global consensus.

The resolution’s passage comes as Israel accelerates settlement activity in large areas of the occupied West Bank, adjacent to Jerusalem, in an attempt to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

During the UN proceedings, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened not to allow the formation of a Palestinian state.

International law continues to regard Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories since 1967 as illegal, despite Israeli planning approvals.