"No Alternative" To Two-State Solution For Israel, Palestinians: France
"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," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel 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.
Barrot said that other Western countries will confirm their intention to recognize the state of Palestine during the conference, without confirming which.
"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.
France is hoping Britain will follow its lead. More than 200 British members of parliament on Friday voiced support for the idea, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that recognition of a Palestinian state "must be part of a wider plan."
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 recognize 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 started following a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel, which responded with a large-scale military response that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives and destroyed most infrastructure in the enclave.
Barrot said it would be an "illusion to think that you can get to a lasting ceasefire without having an outline of what's going to happen in Gaza after the end of the war and having a political horizon."
- 'Israeli unilateral actions' -
Beyond facilitating conditions for recognizing Palestine, the meeting will focus on three other issues: reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from Palestinian public life, and normalization of relations with Israel by Arab states.
However, no new normalization deals are expected to be announced at the meeting, according to a French diplomatic source.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said US President Donald Trump could be a "catalyst" to ending the war in Gaza and jump-starting the two-state solution, stressing Riyadh had no plans to normalize relations with Israel.
Following his plea to Trump, the US State Department labeled the three-day event "unproductive and ill-timed," as well as a "publicity stunt" that would make finding peace harder.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said action was needed to counter Israeli "settlements, land confiscation (and) encroachments on the holy sites."
Israel and the United States were not taking part in the meeting, amid growing international pressure on Israel to end nearly two years of war in Gaza.
Despite "tactical pauses" announced by Israel, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza will dominate speeches.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said "this conference does not promote a solution."
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The Wire
29 minutes ago
- The Wire
The ‘Symbol of Shame' an Israeli Minister Saw in Biafra 55 Years Ago Haunts His Nation Today from Gaza
Eitay Mack But inside Israel, starvation due to its conduct in Gaza is being denied, just as the pandemic was some years ago. In a plenary session of the Knesset held on January 14, 1970, Israel foreign minister Abba Eban addressed the war in Biafra: 'Greater and more terrible than the suffering of war was the disaster of the siege, whose victims were civilians – most of them children – who came into the world only to live a brief and tragic life full of torment. Upon the people of Biafra was fulfilled the horrifying verse from the Book of Lamentations: 'Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger'.' Eban added, 'The Biafran child – with his swollen belly, emaciated limbs and wide, pleading eyes – became the symbol of this generation's shame.' To many around the world today, Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza is seen as the shame of our own generation. In August 1968, Emmanuel Ron, Israel's chargé d'affaires in Lagos at the time, reported that senior figures in Nigeria's federal government – who were suppressing the Biafran rebellion – defended themselves against international criticism by saying: 'Starvation is a legitimate weapon in warfare. It was used as a lawful method by the advanced nations in their wars, and there is no reason Nigeria should act differently'. Similarly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government and its supporters claim that Israel is being unfairly criticised by the international community for the blockade it has imposed on Gaza. Israel has avoided seriously addressing international criticism – shared by most Western democracies – and confronting undisputed facts: On March 2, the Netanyahu government completely halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza; It subsequently approved an aid plan that, from the outset, promised only a 'minimum amount of food'; and even during the limited implementation of this plan, Israeli forces killed hundreds of starving human beings who came to receive food. Meanwhile, a disturbing 'national sport' has emerged in Israel: the debunking of photographs coming from Gaza. This campaign involves officials, journalists, influencers and others, all working to discredit visual evidence of suffering rather than addressing its root causes. The investigation carried out by participants in this 'sport' is not complicated, as in many cases information about the pre-existing health conditions of the children and infants shown in the footage has already been published by the international press or shared by their families and doctors in Gaza. The widespread surprise is difficult to understand – naturally, it is logical that the first victims would be individuals from at-risk groups, with pre-existing health issues and weakened immune systems, who require specialised food and medical care and are especially vulnerable to the consequences of the overall health deterioration affecting the entire population densely concentrated by Israel. Therefore, the denial of the starvation in Gaza most closely resembles the denial of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. Back then, too, there were those who conducted 'investigations' to reveal to the public that hospitalised patients and the deceased had pre-existing health conditions. This was despite the fact that the Ministry of Health was transparent on the issue and its representatives repeatedly emphasised that the pandemic posed a particular danger to these individuals and other at-risk groups. The reality created by a series of reckless decisions made by Netanyahu's government has even managed to penetrate the walls of the White House. US Vice President J.D. Vance stated, 'I don't know if you've all seen these images. You have got some really, really heartbreaking cases. You've got little kids who are clearly starving to death … Israel's got to do more to let that aid in.' President Donald Trump remarked, 'We can save a lot of people, I mean some of those kids. That's real starvation; I see it and you can't fake that […] I want to make sure they get the food.' In response, the Netanyahu government paradoxically claims that there is no hunger. However, if hunger does exist, it blames solely Hamas and the UN. Despite this, the government has agreed to airlift humanitarian aid and allow additional ground routes for aid to enter the Gaza Strip. This must not be a temporary gimmick designed merely to ride out the wave of criticism until global attention shifts elsewhere. After 21 months of war, the health damage to the starving people in Gaza is cumulative, and small, short-term relief will not be enough to repair it until Israel enforces the next halt. Consistently, polls show that most Israelis support ending the war and the release of all hostages held in Gaza. However, this is not enough. Until the long-awaited end of the war, these same Israelis must also raise their voices about how the war is being conducted and demand the removal of all barriers to the free entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. An Israeli citizen cannot claim that the Netanyahu government does not represent them while remaining silent in the face of one of its most immoral and brutal actions. There were times when the Knesset thought the same way. On July 22, 1968, it passed a resolution regarding the war in Biafra, calling on the warring parties to 'allow the transfer of substantial aid to those in need, by land, sea and air. Until the conflict is resolved, essential aid to save the lives of women and children, and to ensure food and assistance for the Ibo population and other tribes who are starving and suffering, must not be blocked.' This was true for Biafra then, and it is true for Gaza today. Eitay Mack is an Israeli human rights lawyer and activist who represents Palestinian victims of terror. This article first appeared on the Hebrew media platform The Seventh Eye. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Mint
35 minutes ago
- Mint
Has the world entered the era of ‘slowbalisation'?
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The Economist, on the other hand, argues that we have entered the 'slowbalisation' era: World trade rose from 39 per cent of the world GDP in 1990 to 61 per cent in 2008, and fell to 58 per cent by 2019, mostly because of a slowdown in trade from emerging markets. Cross-border investments and bank credit flows are down too…. Services are playing a growing role in global value chains. Trade flows based on labour-cost arbitrage are declining in some value chains. And global value chains are becoming more knowledge-intensive. The question posed by Marcos Troyjo, former president of the New Development Bank (NDB), in 2021 is still as relevant as it was four years ago—'With so much disconnect around the world, the question today is: will deglobalisation linger or are we walking into something else?' To this, we may add our own queries: What will be the defining characteristic of this different phase we are entering? Is globalization metamorphosing yet again? 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Economic Times
36 minutes ago
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India launches projects with UN under Global Capacity Building Initiative for Asia, Africa and Caribbean countries
ANI India launches projects partnered with UN under Global Capacity Building Initiative for Asia, Africa and the Caribbean countries India has launched the first phase of four projects in nine partner countries for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the aegis of the India-UN Global Capacity Building details were shared by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday. As per the MEA, the projects will focus on key areas including food security, health, vocational training, and census preparedness. In a post on social media platform X, MEA stated, "Fostering South-South cooperation to achieve SDG goals. The first phase of four projects in nine partner countries, under the aegis of 'India-UN Global Capacity Building Initiative', was launched today by Secretary (West) @Tanmaya_Lal. Heads of Missions, UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Shombi Sharp, diplomats, officials from ITEC implementing institutes, UN agencies & other partner organizations graced the event. The projects focus on food security, health, vocational training & census preparedness." The United Nations in India also highlighted the scope of the initiative, stating that the first round of projects would support healthcare, vocational training, census preparation, and food security in countries across Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Speaking at the launch event, Secretary (West) in MEA, Tanmay Lal, said the initiative assumes greater significance in light of SDG 17, which emphasises partnerships and international Resident Coordinator Shombi Sharp highlighted that under the ethos of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', India is expanding on its already long-standing leadership role in driving South-South Cooperation for SDG acceleration, leveraging the innovation & partnership power of Indian institutions and the UN system."The India-UN Capacity-Building Initiative is enriched through a strategic collaboration with the MEA's globally recognised ITEC programme & will take India's best practice models and institutional excellence to partner countries", the UN Chief of Staff India, Radhika Kaul, mentioned. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar initially announced the initiative in September 2023 during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Since then, the Ministry of External Affairs and the UN team in India have been working jointly to identify and plan SDG-focused projects under the the India-UN initiative, UN agencies will assist partner governments in identifying SDG-linked priority areas. At the same time, India will support implementation through training provided by ITEC-affiliated institutions, as per the MEA statement.
