Saudi Arabia will host the first high-level meeting for the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in Riyadh, on Wednesday October 30, 2024, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
During the 9th Regional Forum of the Union of the Mediterranean, held in Barcelona, Spain, the Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister, Waleed Al-Khereiji, announced that Saudi Arabia is looking forward to hosting the Alliance’s first meeting as a step towards preventing prolonging the cycle of violence and destruction in Palestine and Lebanon.
First High-level Meeting
Al-Khereiji, who is participating in the Forum on behalf of the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said: “Verbal condemnations are no longer sufficient to deter violence, requiring bold and decisive actions. In this context, we look forward to hosting the first high-level meeting of the Global Coalition for a Two-State Solution in Riyadh on October 30.”
The Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister noted that the Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon has put the region at a critical crossroads. This has put the international community before two critical choices: either to act effectively to support the international law and reinforce the two-state solution, or to risk more escalation and further suffering that would undermine the credibility of international efforts to maintain peace and security in the region.
Furthermore, Al-Khereiji pointed to the severity of the human crises in Palestine and Lebanon, saying that they have reached “an unbearable level” and that the situation in the region cannot deteriorate any further. He also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation of Israeli attacks against civilians and UN personnel, including UNRWA and UNIFIL.
Implementing the Two-State Solution
Speaking at the same Forum, the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, spoke about the dire situation in Palestine and Lebanon, stressing the need to take action and exert more pressure to stop the situation from further deteriorating.
“I want also to remind you that during our last [United Nations] General Assembly, we launched the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. This Global Alliance should serve as an umbrella under which all global partners can bring their contribution in order to implement the Two-State Solution,” he said.
Borrell added that the international community must start acting to implement this solution, pointing to the upcoming meeting in Riyadh. He said: “That is why I am happy to [hear] that on the next days is going to be the first meeting of the technical groups in order to continue this process in Riyadh, followed by a second one in Brussels – I hope by the end of November, before the end of my term.”
The EU Foreign Policy Chief added that other meetings will follow in Cairo, Amman, Ankara and Oslo to discuss concrete points and actions that will come out of Riyadh’s meeting.
In September, Saudi Arabia launched the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution during a ministerial meeting at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.