World leaders are gathering in New York on Monday for the resumption of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which Saudi Arabia co-chairs alongside France.
Taking place ahead of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the conference is expected to see several countries recognizing a Palestinian State, in a bid to revive the long-stalled two-state solution to end the longstanding Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Palestinian Statehood Takes Center Stage
As a result of an intensified diplomatic push, led by Saudi Arabia, several countries announced plans to formally recognize a Palestinian State at the UN gathering to advance peace in the Middle East.
On top of these countries is France, as President Emmanuel Macron, which is co-hosting the conference alongside Saudi Arabia, pledged in July to recognize the State of Palestine and called for other nations to join France.
Other countries to recognize Palestine on Monday include Belgium, Luxembourg, San Marino, and Malta.
On Sunday, the UK, Canada, Portugal and Australia formally recognized Palestinian Statehood, despite strong opposition from the US and Israel. With this recognition, the UK and Canada became the first G7 countries to take the move.
New York Declaration
The expected wave of recognitions will expand the New York Declaration, which the UNGA endorsed earlier this month following the Two-State Solution Conference co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France in July.
The declaration charts a roadmap for the achievement of the two-state solution, which includes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the establishment of a Palestinian State that is both viable and sovereign.
It also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, normalization between the Arab countries and Israel, and collective security guarantees.
Two-State Solution
The Two-State Solution Conference takes place at a critical moment in the Gaza war, as the death toll has exceeded 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, amid an expanding Israeli offensive to occupy Gaza City.
Israel has also been pressing ahead with plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, with the aim of undermining the prospects of a two-state solution.
The two-state solution envisages the establishment of an independent Palestinian State along the 1967 borders (which involves the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip), with East Jerusalem as its capital, allowing Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in independent nations.
Mobilizing Support
In the light of this, the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution aims to reaffirm commitments to the two-state solution and mobilize support for its implementation.
Macron will co-host the conference alongside the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, who will deliver a statement through videoconference or a pre-recorded message.
“Our plan, France’s plan… aims for a two-state solution and includes concrete steps to prepare for the immediate post-war period… so that an international stabilization mission can come to Gaza to ensure the protection of both Palestinians and Israelis,” French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, told France’s TF1 broadcaster on Monday.
Gaza War
The brutal Israeli war in Gaza has pushed several European countries to announce their intention to recognize a Palestinian State, in an attempt to pressure Israel to end its ongoing military campaign.
Most recently, an independent inquiry, commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council, concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have incited these acts.
Israeli Response
In response to the growing recognition of Palestine, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the moves as “a huge reward to terrorism,” vowing to fight the Palestinian statehood initiative at the UN. “There will be no Palestinian state,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
He added that he would announce Israel’s response after returning from the US, where he would meet US President Donald Trump on September 29, amid expectations that Israel would retaliate with annexing parts of the West Bank.
In the light of this, the British Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, warned of this move, saying that the UK decision to recognize Palestinian Statehood “is about protecting peace and justice and crucially security for the Middle East.”
“Just as we recognize Israel, the state of Israel … so we must also recognize the rights for the Palestinians to a state of their own as well,” she told BBC.
In a separate development, Trump has invited the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Türkiye for a White House meeting on Tuesday, Axios reported citing two Arab officials. The meeting aims to discuss ways to end the Gaza war and explore a postwar plan.
