France and Saudi Arabia co-hosted a conference at the United Nations this week that aimed to breathe new life into the long-standing but elusive goal of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. The conference occurred against the backdrop of rising global outrage over Israel’s tactics in the war on Gaza and escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank. There was a sense of urgency among those in attendance, as diplomats called for an immediate cease-fire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and Israeli restrictions on aid to be lifted.
The death toll in Gaza since the war began has surpassed 60,000, and a leading global hunger monitor warned that the “worst-case scenario of famine” is underway in the enclave. Amid growing concerns that Israel aims to depopulate Gaza and annex territory, U.N. chief António Guterres on Monday implored conference attendees to go beyond “well-meaning rhetoric.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in an address to the conference said that the two-state solution is in “mortal danger” and conceded that it’s difficult to remain hopeful. Yet Barrot made the case that a two-state solution is the only alternative to the long cycle of violence between Israel and Palestine and argued that it would be pointless to hope for a lasting cease-fire without “sketching out a shared vision for what comes after the war in Gaza” and a “political horizon.”
The Israeli government, which opposes Palestinian statehood, boycotted the event, as did the United States. The Trump administration dismissed the conference as “ill-timed” and a “publicity stunt.”
Road map. The conference may have fallen short in terms of fully reviving the two-state solution. But overall, it still reaffirmed the international community’s determination to end one of the world’s most intractable conflicts and helped lay out a road map for how it hopes to get there with a joint communique—the New York declaration—that was backed by the Arab League, the European Union, and 17 other countries.
The New York declaration envisions the Palestinian Authority, which was repeatedly lauded during the conference for recent reform efforts, eventually governing all Palestinian territory. The declaration condemns Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and calls for the militant group to disarm and relinquish power—the first time the 22-nation Arab League has backed a joint statement to this effect. France called the declaration “unprecedented.”
“At a minimum, all this talk of a two-state solution at the U.N. offers a political horizon for those Palestinians who cling to the idea that there may be a diplomatic solution to their situation,” Richard Gowan, the U.N. director at the International Crisis Group, told SitRep. This may seem “unrealistic” in the short term, Gowan said, but it’s “important to underline” that the “horizon is still there.”
Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, who was in New York for the conference, told SitRep that she was pleased with the conference’s outcomes. “Like-minded countries” showed that they are committed to a two-state solution “as the only guarantee for the safety of Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side” and have outlined “next steps” for building a Palestinian state and supporting moderate Palestinians amid future reconstruction efforts, she said.
Slovenia recently set itself apart among EU countries by becoming the first in the bloc to bar two far-right Israeli ministers—Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich—from entering its borders over their “genocidal” rhetoric toward Palestinians. This week, the Netherlands also slapped an entry ban on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. Along these lines, Fajon emphasized the importance of the international community putting political pressure on Israel.
Political recognition. The conference came just days after France announced it will recognize the state of Palestine and was designed to ramp up pressure on other countries to follow suit.
The pressure strategy appears to have worked. In the midst of the conference, the United Kingdom announced that it would recognize Palestine if Israel doesn’t agree to a cease-fire before the UNGA in September. In an address at the conference on Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy was met with loud applause as he declared the U.K.’s intention to take this step. Canada and Malta this week also announced that they will recognize Palestine as a state at UNGA in September.
France and the United Kingdom are among the world’s most powerful countries and have historically been steadfast allies of Israel. Though recognizing Palestine as a state is a largely symbolic move for now, and the U.K. has stopped short of fully committing to do so, the steps both countries have taken in that direction indicate that Western countries are losing patience with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.
Asked whether it would have been better for London to unconditionally recognize Palestine as a state, which Slovenia and roughly 75 percent of the world’s countries have already done, Fojan said she understood that the U.K. and others are being cautious but that “of course” much more can be asked from many states.
“Time is of the essence” with the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and children dying from malnutrition, she added, and countries have a “moral, legal responsibility to act.”