Other European countries will soon commit to recognizing the State of Palestine, says Paris
During this conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia and aimed at reviving the idea of a two-state solution in the Middle East, "for the first time, the Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will enshrine its definitive isolation," Jean-Noel Barrot also said in an interview with the weekly La Tribune Dimanche.
The minister did not say which countries intended to join the group of European states that have already recognized the State of Palestine or are about to do so, which includes Spain, Ireland, Poland, Sweden, and France. The latter will become the first G7 country to do so at the next U.N. General Assembly.
Franco-Saudi common vision for the 'postwar' period in Gaza
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated on Friday that recognition by London should be "part of a broader plan," and Berlin said it did not foresee it "in the short term."
A conference on a two-state solution was initially scheduled for June at the highest level but was postponed due to the war between Iran and Israel. An initial ministerial meeting begins Monday in New York, ahead of a summit expected in September.
"The prospect of the existence of a State of Palestine has never been so threatened or so necessary," in the context of "the destruction of the Gaza Strip, rampant Israeli settlement in the West Bank which undermines the very idea of territorial continuity, and the resignation of the international community," Barrot said.
"To expect a lasting cease-fire and the release of Hamas hostages and its surrender without first outlining a political prospect is an illusion," he added.
In New York, "with Saudi Arabia, a major player in the region, we will present a common vision for the 'postwar' period to ensure the reconstruction, security, and governance of Gaza and thus pave the way for the two-state solution," he said.
"Our approach is perfectly compatible with the logic of the Abraham Accords," which saw Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan establish formal ties with Israel in 2020, and "will facilitate, when the time comes, the conclusion of new agreements supported by the U.S. administration," he said.
According to AFP's count and verification, at least 142 of the 193 U.N. member states (including France) now recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israeli army announces death of two soldiers in Khan Younis
Two Israeli soldiers, members of the 51st battalion of the Golani infantry brigade, were killed Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said Sunday. They were killed when their armored vehicle exploded, caused by an improvised explosive device detonated by a Palestinian fighter "emerging from a tunnel" in Khan Younis (south), according to military correspondents from several Israeli media outlets. The previous day, a 32-year-old soldier from the 749th engineering battalion, who was wounded by an explosive device last week in Khan Younis, also died, according to the same source. "The State of Israel has lost three young heroes, some of its best sons, who worked for the security of the state and for the return of all our hostages," said Defense Minister Israel Katz on X. According to the Israeli army, 462 of its soldiers have been killed during the ground military offensive against the Gaza Strip launched on Oct. 27, 2023.
L'Orient-Le Jour
8 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Jamaa Islamiya denies reports about training camp in Aley
BEIRUT — Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, a Lebanese Sunni party affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, denied on Saturday reports by some media outlets about a training camp in Aley. Citing a judicial source, newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported Saturday that a training camp belonging to Hamas and Jamaa Islamiya was dismantled in the Aley region of Mount Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Saudi outlet television channel reported Saturday, citing Lebanese military sources, that a cell that was arrested three weeks ago in Aytat (Aley district) by the Lebanese Army includes 10 members of Hamas and Jamaa Islamiya's military wing. "We would like to clarify to the Lebanese public that the group does not have any armed training camps anywhere in Lebanon, nor does it seek to establish any. It is committed to civil peace and stability and has affirmed its cooperation and coordination with the relevant authorities in Lebanon to consolidate this", the Jamaa Islamiya statement reads. The group added that it refuses to "provide any pretext for the Israeli enemy to continue its aggression against Lebanon, and has repeatedly affirmed its call for the adoption of a defense strategy in line with the speech of His Excellency the President of the Republic regarding national security and its requirements." Members of the Jamaa Islamiya's al-Fajr Brigades had claimed several military operations in southern Lebanon during the war between Israel and Hezbollah, who opened fire on Oct. 8, 2023, in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in the wake of Israel's war on Gaza. Several of the group's fighters have also been killed during the war and after the cease-fire.
L'Orient-Le Jour
8 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israel says opening routes to increase food aid
Israel declared a "tactical pause" in fighting in parts of Gaza on Sunday and said it would allow the U.N. and aid agencies to open secure land routes to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. The military also said it had begun air-dropping food into the territory and angrily rejected allegations it was using starvation as a weapon against Palestinian civilians. In a statement, the army said it had coordinated with the U.N. and international agencies to "increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip". The Oxfam aid agency's regional policy chief, Bushra Khalidi, described the Israeli decision as a "welcome first step" but warned it could yet prove insufficient to resolve the crisis. "Starvation won't be solved by a few trucks or airdrops. What's needed is a real humanitarian response: cease-fire, full access, all crossings open, and a steady, large-scale flow of aid into Gaza," she told AFP. "We need a permanent ceasefire, a complete lifting of the siege, and clear guarantees that this isn't just a temporary gesture. Right now, it's unclear how this will actually materialise on the ground." In the Tel al-Hawa district of Gaza City, 30-year-old Suad Ishtaywi said she hoped aid trucks would now be able to reach her family's tent encampment. "My life's wish has become to eat a loaf of bread and to be able to provide bread for my children to eat," she told AFP, complaining her husband comes back daily from fruitless trips to aid distribution points. Also in Gaza City, 44-year-old Mohammed al-Daduh said: "We hope the aid comes in today, because hunger is killing us day by day. Egypt said it would send aid, but we don't know if Israel will allow it in." Egyptian aid trucks had begun crossing into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, AFP journalists saw. The pause in fighting will be limited to areas where the military says Israeli troops are not currently operating — Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City — and last from 10:00 am (0700 GMT) until 8:00 pm every day. But the Israeli statement added that "designated secure routes" had also been opened across all of Gaza to enable the safe passage of U.N. and humanitarian aid organisation convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine. The Israeli military said these operations, alongside its ongoing campaign against Palestinian armed groups, should disprove "the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip". Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants after finding "reasonable grounds" to suspect the criminal responsibility of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant in actions that included the crime of using starvation as a method of war. The Israeli leaders furiously denied their large-scale assault on Gaza in the wake of the Hamas's unprecedented Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel broke international law. But the humanitarian situation inside Gaza has since deteriorated further and on March 2 Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza after ceasefire talks broke down. More than 100 NGOs warned this week of "mass starvation". In late May, Israel began allowing a trickle of aid to resume, but U.N. and humanitarian agencies accuse the army of imposing excessive restrictions, while tightly controlling road access within Gaza. Before Israel announced the airborne delivery of seven pallets of food, the United Arab Emirates had said it would restart aid drops and Britain said it would work with partners including Jordan to assist them. On Saturday alone, the Palestinian civil defence agency said over 50 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes and shootings, some as they waited near aid distribution centres. In a social media post, the Israeli military announced it "carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip". Humanitarian chiefs are deeply sceptical that airdrops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. A number of Western and Arab governments carried out airdrops in Gaza in 2024, when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective. "Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. "They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians." Israel's military insists it does not limit the number of trucks going into Gaza, and alleges U.N. agencies and relief groups are not collecting aid once it is inside the territory. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
