France, Sept. 22 -- The United Nations General Assembly opens this week, with Palestinian statehood set to dominate the agenda. France, alongside Saudi Arabia, will lead discussions in the most significant diplomatic push in years to breathe life back into a two-state solution.

The stage was set on 12 September when the UN General Assembly adopted the so-called New York Declaration, a text designed to give fresh impetus to the peace process - with one crucial caveat: the exclusion of Hamas.

With 142 votes in favour and 10 against - including Israel and the United States - plus 12 abstentions, the resolution demands Hamas lays down its arms.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot hailed the adoption as the "definitive international is...