Israel Recalls Gaza Negotiators With Progress on Truce Talks Unclear
It is unclear from his statement on Thursday whether there's been a breakthrough in the talks with Hamas or whether they have again stalled.
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San Francisco Chronicle
a minute ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
UN conference backs two-state solution, calls on Israel to commit to a Palestinian state
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — High-level representatives at a U.N. conference on Tuesday urged Israel to commit to a Palestinian state and gave 'unwavering support' to a two-state solution, signaling widespread international determination to end one of the world's longest conflicts. The 'New York Declaration' sets out a phased plan to end the nearly eight-decade conflict and the ongoing war in Gaza. The plan would culminate with an independent, demilitarized Palestine living side by side peacefully with Israel, and their eventual integration into the wider Mideast region. The meeting is taking place amid the latest reports that starvation and famine are taking place in Gaza, and growing global outrage at Palestinians not getting food due to Israeli policies and practices – which Israel denies. Planned for two days, the meeting was extended into Wednesday because representatives of about 50 countries have not spoken. Israel rejects the notion of two states Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes a two-state solution and has rejected the meeting on both nationalistic and security grounds. Israel's close ally, the United States, is also boycotting, calling the meeting 'unproductive and ill-timed.' Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon late Tuesday sharply criticized the some 125 countries participating in the conference, saying 'there are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement.' The conference, which was postponed from June and downgraded from world leaders to ministers, for the first time established eight high-level working groups to examine and make proposals on wide-ranging topics related to a two-state solution. The declaration's plan says conference co-chairs France and Saudi Arabia, the European Union and Arab League, and 15 countries that led the working groups agreed 'to take collective action to end the war in Gaza.' Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan urged the rest of the 193 U.N. member nations 'to support this document' before the start of the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly in mid-September. The declaration condemns 'the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians' in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. It marks a first condemnation by Arab nations of Hamas, whose attacks killed about 1,200, mainly Israeli civilians, and whose militants took about 250 people hostage. Some 50 are still being held. The declaration condemns Israel's attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and its 'siege and starvation, which have produced a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and protection crisis.' Israel's offensive against Hamas has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Plan would give Palestinian Authority governing power The conference plan envisions the Palestinian Authority governing and controlling all Palestinian territory, with a transitional administrative committee immediately established under its umbrella after a ceasefire in Gaza. 'In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority,' the declaration says. It also supports deployment of 'a temporary international stabilization mission' operating under U.N. auspices to protect Palestinian civilians, support the transfer of security to the Palestinian Authority and provide security guarantees for Palestine and Israel — 'including monitoring of the ceasefire and of a future peace agreement.' The declaration urges countries to recognize the state of Palestine, calling this 'an essential and indispensable component of the achievement of the two-state solution.' Without naming Israel but clearly referring to it, the document says 'illegal unilateral actions are posing an existential threat to the realization of the independent state of Palestine.' French President Emmanuel Macron announced ahead of the meeting that his country will recognize the state of Palestine at the General Assembly's meeting of world leaders in late September. The French Foreign Ministry on Tuesday pushed back on Israeli claims that recognition of Palestine would 'reward' Hamas, saying that 'on the contrary, it has contributed to isolating Hamas.' United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday that Britain would recognize the state of Palestine before September's meeting, but would refrain if Israel agrees to a ceasefire and long-term peace process in the next eight weeks. The countries are now the biggest Western powers and the only two members of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations to make such a pledge. A separate one-page statement titled the 'New York Call" was circulated by France, but the language was considered too strong, especially for Arab nations. It was only approved by 15 Western nations, including six that have recognized the state of Palestine and nine others: Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal and San Marino. The statement, issued late Tuesday, says the 15 countries have recognized, 'expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration ... to recognize the state of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-state solution, and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call.'
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Moral momentum' to recognise Palestine after UK move
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being urged to help build "moral momentum" to recognise a Palestinian state and end starvation in Gaza. The United Kingdom government released a statement overnight announcing it was prepared to join France in recognising Palestinian statehood in September. My statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and our plan for peace including the recognition of a Palestinian State. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2025 Australia could increase that momentum to help innocent civilians caught up in Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, federal Labor MP Ed Husic said. "There is a moral momentum now that we are all witnessing," he told reporters on Wednesday. "Australia can lend its great weight to that momentum in making the decision to recognise." Mr Husic, who was the first Muslim federal minister before being moved to the backbench after the May election, has led a caucus push to pressure the prime minister to recognise Palestine. Mr Albanese has in recent days stepped up his criticism of Israel for denying food to Gazans, leading to what aid agencies say is a humanitarian crisis, with the UN saying on X "the worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in Gaza". On Tuesday, Mr Albanese said it was "beyond comprehension" that Israel could claim there was no starvation in Gaza. But he would not commit to recognising Palestine while it remained under the de facto leadership of Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Australia. The worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in starvation, malnutrition & disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths amid relentless conflict, mass displacement & severely restricted humanitarian via @theIPCinfo — United Nations (@UN) July 29, 2025 Mr Husic said he understood the prime minister's position but said the government could still join the international push to recognise Gaza without legitimising Hamas. "We can still maintain that we have conditions that we believe need to be satisfied, not the least of which is the build up of democratic institutions within the state of Palestine, the demilitarisation of Hamas, for example," he said. "But we can flag our preparedness to join with both France and the UK, to signal our commitment to recognise Palestine." Two more developments in the past 24 hours also added to the urgency for Australia to act, Mr Husic said. Gaza's health ministry says 60,000 people have been killed by Israel since October 7, while a number of Israeli human rights groups have called Israel's offensive in Gaza a genocide. Australia joined 14 other countries, including France, the UK and Canada in a statement backing the recognition of Palestine "as an essential step towards the two-state solution and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call". It comes ahead of a leader's level meeting during the 80th United Nations General Assembly scheduled for September, where Palestinian statehood is set to be a major topic of discussion. The statement, signed by the 15 foreign ministers, also condemned terrorist group Hamas for its attack against Israel on October 7, 2023 and called for the release of all hostages and an immediate ceasefire. It also called for further humanitarian aid as people starve to death in Gaza as Israel chokes food and medical supplies entering the besieged strip to put pressure on Hamas. The foreign ministers added they "express grave concern over the high number of civilian casualties and humanitarian situation in Gaza". They further welcomed reform within the Palestinian Authority, which Australia has said needs to undergo significant reform as part of the process for recognition and a two-state solution, because Hamas could play no role in governing the strip. This included a commitment by the authority's president to schooling reform and to hold elections within a year, as well as accepting the principle of a demilitarised Palestinian state. Opposition frontbencher James Paterson would not say whether he thought a starvation crisis was occurring in Gaza but said reports of starvation were "certainly credible". "I'm not in a position to independently assess the evidence that's coming out of Gaza. I'm not there on the ground," he told ABC Radio National. "While we can all observe the very serious humanitarian situation, we should be careful not to endorse claims that are made by Hamas." Israel says Hamas is to blame for food not getting into Gaza and contests Gazan health officials' casualty figures.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Qatar, Saudi, Egypt join call for Hamas to disarm, give up Gaza rule
Arab countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt joined calls Tuesday for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Palestinian territory. Seventeen countries plus the European Union and Arab League threw their weight behind a seven-page text agreed at a United Nations conference on reviving the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. "In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State," said the declaration. It followed a call Monday by the Palestinian delegation at the United Nations for both Israel and Hamas to leave Gaza, allowing the Palestinian Authority to administer the coastal territory. The text also condemned the deadly October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas against Israel, something the UN General Assembly has yet to do. France, which co-chaired the conference with Saudi Arabia, called the declaration "both historic and unprecedented." "For the first time, Arab countries and those in the Middle East condemn Hamas, condemn October 7, call for the disarmament of Hamas, call for its exclusion from Palestinian governance, and clearly express their intention to normalize relations with Israel in the future," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. The text, co-signed by France, Britain and Canada among other western nations, also called for the possible deployment of foreign forces to stabilize Gaza after the end of hostilities. Israel and its ally the United States did not take part in the meeting. - 21 months of war - The document was issued at the second day of the conference in New York at which Britain announced it may recognize a Palestinian state in September. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said London would proceed with recognition if Israel did not fulfil conditions including implementing a ceasefire in Gaza and allowing in sufficient aid. French President Emmanuel Macron last week said he would formally announce France's recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September. For decades, most of the global body's 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 started after the Hamas attacks on Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. Israel responded with large-scale military action that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives and destroyed most infrastructure in the enclave. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the meeting Monday "the two-state solution is farther than ever before." In a statement issued late Tuesday, 15 Western nations including France and Spain, affirmed their "unwavering support to the vision of the two-state solution." Among the signatories, nine that have not yet recognized a Palestinian state expressed "willingness or positive consideration of their countries" to do so: Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal, and San Marino. abd-gw/des/mlm
