A UN conference, co-organized by France and Saudi Arabia, aimed at reviving negotiations for a “two-state solution” between Israelis and Palestinians, commenced in New York on July 28. The event, scheduled to run until July 30, began with the notable absence of officials from Israel and the United States, who boycotted the sessions.
The French initiative emerges at a time of growing global outrage over Israel’s campaign in Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron had previously pledged to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, a declaration that was condemned by Israel as “a black stain in the history of France” and “direct assistance to terrorism.” The Israeli Knesset, for its part, voted on July 24 to apply Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, advancing its annexation agenda.
Despite the boycott, dozens of foreign ministers are participating in the conference, seeking pathways to peace and stability in the region and reaffirming support for the two-state solution from other members of the international community.
