Macron says two-state solution 'only credible way forward', with conference to reconvene in September
Mr Macron, who has previously said that France plans to recognise Palestine during this year's UN General Assembly, said a two-state solution is the only credible way forward 'for the families of the hostages, for Israelis, and for Palestinians alike'.
Seventeen countries, alongside the EU and Arab League, endorsed a seven-page declaration agreed at the first high-level UN conference in July aimed at advancing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
The French leader said in a social media post that he had spoken to King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to outline a road map for the de-escalation of the Gaza war, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, large-scale delivery of humanitarian assistance and the disarmament of Hamas, alongside the empowerment of the Palestinian Authority in the enclave.
Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey joined a growing chorus of states in July in New York calling on Hamas to relinquish control and disarm in Gaza, supporting a UN-backed effort to halt the conflict and revive stalled peace talks.
Mr Macron warned against Israel's plan to seize Gaza city. 'The military offensive in Gaza that Israel is preparing can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war."
Israel announced plans for the offensive in recent weeks, with the Defence Minister Israel Katz approving the mobilisation of about 60,000 reservists. The humanitarian situation in the enclave continues to deteriorate amid reports of an increased number of deaths from starvation.
Mr Macron reiterating his appeal for the deployment of an 'international stabilisation mission' in Gaza, calling on regional and international partners to achieve it.
The French President has in recent weeks intensified diplomatic efforts with regional leaders, urging restraint while Israel presses ahead with military preparations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
ICEBlock developer says Trump White House full of 'hot air' amid legal threats
The creator of ICEBlock, an app that allows people in the US to report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, has dismissed threats from President Donald Trump 's administration as 'hot air' and said his creation has crossed an important threshold. Joshua Aaron said that despite continuing threats of litigation, ICEBlock had exceeded one million downloads, adding that the app was growing its user base by at least 10,000 downloads each day. Mr Aaron was speaking at the Hackers Of Planet Earth (Hope) symposium at Saint John's University in New York. Organisers allowed him to address the symposium remotely 'due to the targeting of the speaker' by the White House. 'It's all been hot air,' he said at the event on Sunday. 'They love to get in front microphone and they love to make threatening comments.' The app aims to alert users to the presence of ICE officials within an 8km radius. It is powered by crowdsourced data, relying on people to report the location of ICE agents. It also allows users to describe the vehicles and clothing of ICE agents. Once a sighting is reported, push notifications are sent to nearby users. Mr Aaron said Apple's iOS App Store initially denied the app when he submitted it for approval this year. 'It wasn't denied for any other reason than Apple went 'I don't know what to do with this, because nothing has ever been done like this before',' he told conference attendees. He said he went back and forth with Apple for several weeks, explaining that he wasn't monetising the app, collecting data or anything else that violated the company's policies. 'Their legal team looked into everything and said it was absolutely protected speech, and then they signed off on it.' Mr Aaron said he thought it was unlikely that Apple would cave to pressure from the Trump White House to remove ICEBlock. It is currently only available for iPhone and Mr Aaron said the privacy settings he deems necessary for ICEBlock are not yet possible on Android devices. The app has continued to anger Mr Trump, who has made it a priority to increase funding for ICE, which has ramped up the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants. Critics say the agents arrest and deport people with little concern for their legal rights, including due process. Mr Aaron, who is Jewish, previously told The National that he had decided to create the app after meeting Holocaust survivors and learning about Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has suggested that those promoting the app should face prosecution. 'We're working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them because what they're doing is actually encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activity operations,' she said in July. Several weeks later, Mr Aaron's wife, who worked as a forensic auditor for the US Department of Justice in Austin, was fired from her job. A representative for the department told The National at the time that Mr Aaron's wife Carolyn Feinstein had a 'sizeable interest' in the app, and that the DOJ would 'not tolerate' someone connected with a tool that encouraged threats against law enforcement. Ms Feinstein told The National that she was not ruling out legal responses to her termination, and said she had nothing to do with the app's development. ICEBlock's creator has continued to insist that the app is not unconstitutional or illegal, and has taken issue with the White House claims that it threatens the safety of law enforcement. 'Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only,' reads a disclaimer appearing throughout ICEBlock. Another warning states that the app should not be used 'for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement'. Mr Aaron compared ICEBlock to similar apps and tools which allow smartphone users to report police speed traps in the US. 'That's the same principle we have with ICEBlock,' he said, citing the legality of those apps. Masked ICE agents have swept up thousands of migrants in a nationwide dragnet that has sometimes snared US citizens and green card holders. Current and former detainees have said they were kept in dire conditions in ICE custody, charges the agency denies. When asked at the Hope conference if the Trump administration followed through with promises of litigation related to the app, Mr Aaron said the threats remained just threats. He said that lawyers had reached out to him and agreed to represent ICEBlock pro bono. 'It's some of the finest legal minds I have ever come across,' he said, adding that the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union are some of those taking part in his defence.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Macron says two-state solution the 'credible way forward' and Gaza offensive will bring 'disaster'
Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that France will co-chair a reconvened conference on the two-state solution with Saudi Arabia in New York in September. Mr Macron, who has previously said that France plans to recognise Palestine during this year's UN General Assembly, said a two-state solution is the only credible way forward 'for the families of the hostages, for Israelis, and for Palestinians alike'. Seventeen countries, alongside the EU and Arab League, endorsed a seven-page declaration agreed at the first high-level UN conference in July aimed at advancing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The French leader said in a social media post that he had spoken to King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to outline a road map for the de-escalation of the Gaza war, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, large-scale delivery of humanitarian assistance and the disarmament of Hamas, alongside the empowerment of the Palestinian Authority in the enclave. Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey joined a growing chorus of states in July in New York calling on Hamas to relinquish control and disarm in Gaza, supporting a UN-backed effort to halt the conflict and revive stalled peace talks. Mr Macron warned against Israel's plan to seize Gaza city. 'The military offensive in Gaza that Israel is preparing can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war." Israel announced plans for the offensive in recent weeks, with the Defence Minister Israel Katz approving the mobilisation of about 60,000 reservists. The humanitarian situation in the enclave continues to deteriorate amid reports of an increased number of deaths from starvation. Mr Macron reiterating his appeal for the deployment of an 'international stabilisation mission' in Gaza, calling on regional and international partners to achieve it. The French President has in recent weeks intensified diplomatic efforts with regional leaders, urging restraint while Israel presses ahead with military preparations.
Khaleej Times
4 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Palestinian Authority condemns Israel's approval of key West Bank settlement
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday slammed Israel's approval of a key settlement project in the occupied West Bank, saying it undermined the chances of a two-state solution. The approval of the project in the area known as E1 "fragments... geographic and demographic unity, entrenching the division of the occupied West Bank into isolated areas and cantons that are disconnected from one another, turning them into something akin to real prisons," the PA's foreign ministry said in a statement. Israel approved a major settlement project on Wednesday in an area of the occupied West Bank that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. Israel has long had ambitions to build on the roughly 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) parcel known as E1 just east of Jerusalem, but the plan had been stalled for years amid international opposition. Critics say the settlement would effectively cut the West Bank in two, undermining hopes for a contiguous Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. Last week, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich backed plans to build some 3,400 homes on the ultrasensitive tract of land, which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.
