Latest news with #Antonio Guterres
SBS Australia
2 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Easy English 29 July 2025
The United Nations Secretary General has urged leaders to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at an international conference lead by Saudi Arabia and France. Fifty ministers have gathered at the U-N for the three-day conference in New York. Both Israel and the United States have refused to participate in the meeting, which is being attended by representatives of 125 countries. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the solution must be reached urgently to meet the needs of both parties. "This conflict cannot be managed. It must be resolved. We cannot wait for perfect conditions. We must create them. We cannot defer peace efforts until suffering becomes unbearable. We must act before it is too late." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he remains focused on easing cost-of-living pressures, highlighting a planned cut to prescription medicine prices. The government is introducing a bill today to lower the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme co-payment cap from $31.60 to $25. With opposition support, the bill is expected to pass quickly, and the changes are set to take effect from the 1st of January 2026. United States President Donald Trump has given Russia 10 to 12 days to reach a peace deal with Ukraine, sharply reducing his original 50-day deadline. The U-S President says there's no reason to wait the full term, considering the lack of progress. Mr Trump says Russia will face further sanctions if no peace deal with Ukraine is reached. "So what I'm doing is we're going to do secondary sanctions, unless we make a deal. And we might make a deal. I don't know. I don't know. You don't know. We've done so many peace deals. This is the one I started out with. And you know, this Putin called me. He wanted to know if I could help him with Iran. I said, no, I don't need your help with Iran, I need your help with Russia. And so that's the one deal that continues to linger." Mr Trump says he's had several promising talks with President Vladimir Putin, but each was followed by renewed violence between Russia and Ukraine. There have been two separate mass shootings in the United States. In New York, a gunman opened fire inside a Manhattan skyscraper housing financial firms and the N-F-L headquarters. The shooter, reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying an A-R-style rifle, critically injured a police officer and a bystander before taking his own life. Australian backstroke star Kaylee McKeown is to face arch-rival Regan Smith in the 100 metre backstroke final at the World Championships in Singapore. McKeown, a two-time Olympic champion, qualified second-fastest behind the American, who holds the current world record of 57.13 second, just ahead of McKeown's former mark of 57.33. While their showdown promises to be a highlight, McKeown says she's focused on enjoying the race rather than adopting a win-at-all-costs mindset.
NHK
2 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Conference on two-state solution to Israel-Palestinian conflict begins at UN
An international conference to discuss a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict kicked off at UN headquarters in New York on Monday. France and Saudi Arabia led the call for the gathering to be held. It is aimed at raising public approval for a proposal for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace and security through two states. Delegates from 125 countries and territories are attending. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the opening of the session that the two-state solution is "farther than ever before," recognizing that the proposal currently faces a difficult situation. Guterres added that the two-state solution "remains the only framework rooted in international law, endorsed by this Assembly, and supported by the international community." Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called on Israel to go back to the principle of the two-state solution. He said: "This conference is also a message to the Israelis that there is a path to peace and regional integration. It will be achieved through our independence, not our destruction." Participants observed a moment of silence for all the people who have died since October 2023. The topics of discussion included the recognition of a Palestinian state and the disarmament of the Islamic group Hamas. Many of the participants called for an immediate ceasefire and criticized the expansion of Israel's settlement activity in the West Bank as an obstacle for peace. The United States and Israel were absent from the conference. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to take a negative stance on the two-state solution. Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said on Monday, "This conference does not promote a solution, but rather deepens the illusion." He criticized the organizers of the meeting, saying they "are engaging in discussions and plenaries that are disconnected from reality."
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
UN chief calls for ‘viable two-state solution' to Israel-Palestine conflict
Dozens of ministers have gathered at a United Nations conference to urge the world to work towards a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians, but the United States and Israel have boycotted the event. The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025. Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran. Addressing the attendees on Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud urged all countries to support the conference goal of a roadmap laying out the parameters to a Palestinian state while ensuring Israel's security. In opening remarks, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, 'We must ensure that it does not become another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric. 'It can and must serve as a decisive turning point – one that catalyses irreversible progress towards ending the occupation and realising our shared aspiration for a viable two-state solution.' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the conference: 'We must work on the ways and means to go from the end of the war in Gaza to the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at a time when this war is jeopardising the stability and security of the entire region. '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.' France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron said last week. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called on all countries to 'recognise the state of Palestine without delay'. 'All states have a responsibility to act now,' said Mustafa at the start of the meeting. The meeting comes as Israel's war on Gaza still rages after more than 21 months. The war was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 and seizing more than 200 others as captives, according to Israeli statistics. Since then, Israel's military assault on Gaza has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to health authorities in the besieged territory. Israel, US boycott meeting Despite growing international pressure on Israel to end its war, Israel and the US were not taking part in the meeting. The US State Department said the three-day event was 'unproductive and ill-timed,' as well as a 'publicity stunt' that would make finding peace harder. The diplomatic push is a 'reward for terrorism', it said in a statement, and it also called the promise to recognise a Palestinian state by Macron 'counterproductive.' Speaking to reporters later on Monday, Prince Faisal called for US President Donald Trump's involvement in resolving the ongoing conflict. 'I'm firmly in the belief that the US engagement, especially the engagement of President Trump, can be a catalyst for an end to the immediate crisis in Gaza and potentially a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the long term,' he told reporters. Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said that the regional powers appeared to have limited influence over the situation in Gaza. 'The Saudis, Egyptians, Jordanians and others are all incapable of affecting the situation,' he said. 'They are weak and cannot do anything themselves about what is going on in Gaza.' The UN has long endorsed a vision of two states side by side within secure and recognised borders. Palestinians want a state in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, all territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war with neighbouring Arab states. The UN General Assembly in May last year overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council 'reconsider the matter favourably'. The resolution garnered 143 votes in favour and nine against. The General Assembly vote was a global survey of support for the Palestinian bid to become a full UN member – a move that would effectively recognise a Palestinian state – after the US vetoed it in the UN Security Council several weeks earlier.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
'No alternative' to two-state solution for Israel, Palestinians: French FM
There is 'no alternative' to a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians, France told a UN conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia on Monday. '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 that he would formally recognize a State of Palestine in September. In an interview with French weekly La Tribune Dimanche, Barrot said that other European 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. 'Recognize the state of Palestine without delay.' France is hoping that Britain will take this step. More than 200 British members of parliament on Friday voiced support for the idea, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated that recognition of a Palestinian state 'must be part of a wider plan.' The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the meeting 'the two-State solution is farther than ever before,' decrying Israel's 'creeping annexation' of the occupied West Bank and 'the wholesale destruction of Gaza.' According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states — including France — now recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988. In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two independent states — one Jewish and the other Arab. The following year, the state of Israel was proclaimed. For several decades, the vast majority of UN member states have supported the idea of a two-state solution, which would see 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 basic infrastructure in the enclave. This week's conference comes at a moment when 'the prospect of a Palestinian state has never been so threatened, or so necessary,' Barrot said. Jordanian FM: 'stop Israeli unilateral actions' Beyond facilitating conditions for the recognition of a Palestinian state, 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. On the other hand, 'for the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament,' Barrot said. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said 'we've got to act to stop Israeli unilateral actions that undermine the two-state solution, including settlements, land confiscation, encroachments on the holy sites and attempts to change the demographic composition of the West Bank and Gaza.' 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' in some military operations announced by Israel, the humanitarian catastrophe in the ravaged coastal territory is expected to dominate speeches by representatives of more than 100 countries as they take the podium. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said 'this conference does not promote a solution, but rather deepens the illusion.' Bruno Stagno, chief advocacy officer at Human Rights Watch, said 'more platitudes about a two-state solution and peace process will do nothing to advance the conference's goals, nor to halt the extermination of Palestinians in Gaza.'
The Australian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Australian
'No alternative' to two-state solution for Israel, Palestinians
There is "no alternative" to a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians, France told a UN conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia on Monday. "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 that he would formally recognize a State of Palestine in September. In an interview with French weekly La Tribune Dimanche, Barrot said that other European 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. "Recognize the state of Palestine without delay." France is hoping that Britain will take this step. More than 200 British members of parliament on Friday voiced support for the idea, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated that recognition of a Palestinian state "must be part of a wider plan." The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the meeting "the two-State solution is farther than ever before," decrying Israel's "creeping annexation" of the occupied West Bank and "the wholesale destruction of Gaza." According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states -- including France -- now recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988. In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two independent states -- one Jewish and the other Arab. The following year, the state of Israel was proclaimed. For several decades, the vast majority of UN member states have supported the idea of a two-state solution, which would see 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 basic infrastructure in the enclave. This week's conference comes at a moment when "the prospect of a Palestinian state has never been so threatened, or so necessary," Barrot said. - 'Israeli unilateral actions' - Beyond facilitating conditions for the recognition of a Palestinian state, 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. On the other hand, "for the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament," Barrot said. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said "we've got to act to stop Israeli unilateral actions that undermine the two-state solution, including settlements, land confiscation, encroachments on the holy sites and attempts to change the demographic composition of the West Bank and Gaza." 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" in some military operations announced by Israel, the humanitarian catastrophe in the ravaged coastal territory is expected to dominate speeches by representatives of more than 100 countries as they take the podium. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said "this conference does not promote a solution, but rather deepens the illusion." Bruno Stagno, chief advocacy officer at Human Rights Watch, said "more platitudes about a two-state solution and peace process will do nothing to advance the conference's goals, nor to halt the extermination of Palestinians in Gaza." abd-gw/aha
