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UN conference on two-state solution kicks off
A United Nations conference focused on a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine is now under way in New York City.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres have delivered opening statements.
France says ‘no alternative’ to two-state solution
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says there is “no alternative” to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine as he opened a UN conference on the matter.
“Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative,” he said.
Israel has reiterated countless times there will be no process towards a two-state solution as it continues its war on Gaza.
‘Nothing can justify the obliteration of Gaza’: UN chief
Speaking at the opening of the UN conference in New York, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says Israel and Palestine are at a “breaking point” with a two-state solution further away than ever before.
“We are here today with our eyes wide open, fully aware of the challenges before us,” Guterres said. “We know that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured for generations, defying hopes, defying diplomacy, defying countless resolutions and indeed defying international law.”
But “its persistence is not inevitable. It can be resolved,” he said, adding the realities of the war on Gaza make forging a two-state solution even more pressing.
“Nothing can justify the obliteration of Gaza that has unfolded before the eyes of the world,” Guterres said. “Precisely because of the grim realities, we must do even more to realise the two-state solution. … Today’s conference is a rare and indispensable opportunity.”
‘Historic opportunity’ for Israeli-Palestinian peace
Addressing the UN conference in New York, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa described the event as a message of hope to both Israel and Palestine.
“This conference is a message to the Palestinian people that the world supports us in the realisation of our rights, including to a sovereign state”, he said.
It is also a message to the Israeli people that “there is a path to peace and regional integration – it will be achieved through our independence, not our destruction”, he added.
“We hope they hear this message and grasp this historical opportunity.”
Mustafa said “all states have a responsibility to act now to end the war on our people in Gaza” and voiced support for Qatari, Egyptian and US-led ceasefire mediation efforts.
“The massacres and the engineered starvation by Israel must be brought to an immediate end,” he said.
