France, 14 other nations urge recognition of Palestinian state
"In New York, together with 14 other countries, France is issuing a collective appeal: we express our desire to recognise the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X account, following a conference aimed at reviving the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.
France told a UN conference, co-chaired with Saudi Arabia, that there is no alternative to a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians.
"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," Barrot said at the start of the three-day meeting.
Days before the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron announced he would formally recognize Palestinian statehood in September, provoking strong opposition from Israel and the United States.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to go ahead with recognition in September unless Israel takes "substantive steps", including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
"All states have a responsibility to act now," said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa at the start of the meeting, calling for an international force to help underwrite Palestinian statehood.
He called for the world to recognize Palestinian statehood, while later demanding that Hamas surrender control of the Gaza Strip and its arms as part of a deal to end fighting in the territory.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the meeting "the two-state solution is farther than ever before."
According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states now recognise the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988.
In 1947, in a resolution approved by the General Assembly, the United Nations decided to partition Palestine, then under a British mandate, into Jewish and Arab states. Israel was proclaimed in 1948.
For decades, most UN members have supported a two-state solution with Israel and a Palestinian state existing side-by-side.
But after more than 21 months of war in Gaza, the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and Israeli officials declaring designs to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could become geographically impossible.
The current war in Gaza has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives and destroyed most infrastructure in the enclave.
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