The UN general assembly has voted to back a Hamas-free government for Palestine. Facts first, then my argument second: The 142-10 vote on Friday was to endorse the so-called New York declaration, a statement calling for a two-state solution, crafted by France and Saudi Arabia in July. It includes some of the sharpest criticism of Hamas ever endorsed by the UN. The text states: “We condemn the attacks perpetrated on 7 October by Hamas against civilians,” and “Hamas must release all hostages” held in Gaza. Israel, the US, Hungary and Argentina were among the countries voting against. There were 12 abstentions. The vote for the declaration will be seen as paving the way for the one-day UN conference on a two-state solution, due to be held in New York immediately before the UN general assembly high level week. At that conference a host of states, including France, UK, Canada and Australia, will formally recognise the state of Palestine. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, insisted on Thursday that Israel would never accept a Palestinian state. Around three-quarters of the 193 UN member states recognise the Palestinian state proclaimed in 1988 by the exiled Palestinian leadership. Germany and Italy remain the two large European countries holding out against recognition of a Palestine state, although the Italian coalition government is increasingly divided on the issue. Five European countries have now banned all imports from illegal Israeli settlements. The declaration states: “In the context of the end of the war in Gaza, Hamas must cease exercising its authority over the Gaza Strip and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with the support and cooperation of the international community, in accordance with the objective of a sovereign and independent State of Palestine.” It also mentions the deployment of a “temporary international stabilisation mission” under a mandate from the UN security council to protect the population, support the strengthening of the capacities of the Palestinian state and provide “security guarantees to Palestine and Israel”. Hamas has said that it will not agree to disarm unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established. They are the facts, now here is my argument: If there is not a two state solution, what will become of the two million Arabs that live in Gaza? Unless there is ethnic cleansing, they will continue to live there, right? If that is the case, and they are absorbed d into Israel, then the percentage of Arabs living in Israel will increase to 30-40%. Given they are lower socio economically, for the most part, it is predictable they will have more children than the Jews. Either way, they will have an increasing representation in the Israeli democracy. We have seen this in many places. Where there are two ethnic groups in a country closely matched as a proportion of the population, there will be continuing resentment, revolution, coups and change as the influence of each waxes and wains over time, for time immemorial. If that is what the people of Israel want, I would be very surprised.