UN Conference on Forming a Palestinian State as a Solution to Conflicts with Israel
There is no alternative to resolving the chronic Israeli-Palestinian conflict except the “two-state solution” – the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, so they can “live side by side in peace and security,” France advocated today at the UN headquarters in New York at the opening of an international conference on this issue, which Israel and the US are boycotting.
“Only a political solution with two states can answer the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, calling for “concrete measures” to preserve the prospect of a “viable” Palestinian state.
He said it is unrealistic to expect a longer ceasefire in Gaza without defining the contours of post-war Gaza and a political solution – reports N1.
However, the US sharply criticized this conference today. State Department spokesperson Tami Bruce condemned the “unproductive and inappropriate” initiative, which she described as a “publicity stunt” in the midst of “delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict” that has lasted for nearly two years.
After President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will officially recognize the state of Palestine in September, there is hope that the conference convened by the UN General Assembly, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, will gain new momentum.
Barrot said other “Western countries” would also express their intention to recognize the state of Palestine during the conference but did not specify which ones.
The United Kingdom has already rejected this idea, with its Prime Minister Keir Starmer stating that recognition of Palestine should be “part of a comprehensive plan.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa stated that all countries have a responsibility to act now and that the authority he represents is ready to deploy international forces to protect the Palestinian population.
According to AFP’s count, at least 142 out of 193 UN member states, including France, recognize the state of Palestine, which was declared in 1988 by the Palestinian Authority in exile.
The 1947 UN General Assembly Resolution decided to partition the region of Palestine, then under British administration, into two independent states, one Jewish and one Arab, and the following year the state of Israel was proclaimed.
For decades, the vast majority of the international community has supported the two-state solution – a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
But after 21 months of war in Gaza, the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the desire of Israeli officials to annex this occupied territory, there is growing fear that the creation of a Palestinian state is physically impossible. “We are at a breaking point. The two-state solution is further away than ever. Let’s be clear: the creeping annexation of the West Bank is illegal and must stop. The large-scale destruction of Gaza is unbearable and must stop,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, condemning “unilateral” actions that could “forever undermine” the two-state solution.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said that this conference does not encourage a solution but rather “reinforces an illusion.”
Besides creating momentum for the recognition of the state of Palestine, the conference is focused on three more topics: reforming the governance of the Palestinian Authority, disarming Hamas and excluding it from Palestinian power, and normalizing relations with Israel by Arab states that have not yet done so.
International pressure on Israel continues to grow to end the war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
