Latest news with #twoStateSolution
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal to travel to West Bank in historic visit
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, is expected to visit the West Bank this weekend, marking one of the most senior Saudi officials to do so since 1967. The top Saudi diplomat will lead an Arab delegation that will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other officials from the Palestinian Authorities (PA) during their one-day visit, according to Palestinian Ambassador to Riyadh, Mazen Ghoneim. Ghoneim said the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and 'other countries' would also be part of the visit. In comments to Saudi Arabia's Al-Ekhbariya, Ghoneim said the talks would focus on Arab efforts for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital. Saudi Arabia and France are expected to co-host a conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York next month, where Paris is scheduled to recognize Palestinian statehood. Manal Radwan, a senior advisor to the Saudi foreign minister, said regional peace begins with recognizing the State of Palestine 'not as a symbolic gesture, but as a strategic necessity.' Speaking earlier this month at a preparatory UN session ahead of the June conference, Radwan said: 'Civilians continue to pay the price of a war that must end immediately. The escalation in the West Bank is equally alarming. Despair grows deeper by the day.' She added: 'This is precisely why we must speak not only of ending the war but of ending a conflict that has lasted nearly eight decades.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
7 hours ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Macron: France May Toughen Stance on Israel if it Continues Blocking Gaza Aid
France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, reiterating that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. "And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers. "But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response,' Reuters quoted him as saying. Under growing international pressure, Israel partially ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza last week, allowing a limited amount of relief to be delivered under a system that has been heavily criticized. Macron said Paris is committed to working towards a political solution and reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The existence of a Palestinian state "is not just simply a moral duty but also a political necessity," Macron told reporters in Singapore, in comments broadcast on French TV. Macron is leaning towards recognizing a Palestinian state, diplomats and experts say, a move that could infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits. French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting between June 17-20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security.
LBCI
7 hours ago
- General
- LBCI
France may toughen stance on Israel if it continues blocking Gaza aid, Macron says
France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, reiterating that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. "And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers.
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
France may toughen stance on Israel if it continues blocking Gaza aid, Macron says
SINGAPORE, May 30 (Reuters) - France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, reiterating that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. "And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers. "But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has hit back at growing international pressure over the war in Gaza, the deadliest fighting in decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Macron was in Singapore on a state visit and he will also deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum, which runs this year from May 30-June 1. Deep differences between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March. Under growing international pressure, Israel partially ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza 10 days ago. It has allowed a limited amount of relief to be delivered via two avenues - the United Nations or the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The French president said Paris is committed to working towards a political solution and reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Macron is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state, diplomats and experts say, a move that could infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits. French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting between June 17-20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to a Hamas attack in its south on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The war since then has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, Palestinian health authorities say, more than in any other of the countless rounds of fighting between the two sides.
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UK Slams New Israeli Settlements as an Obstacle to Palestinian Statehood
The UK slammed on Thursday Israel's latest settlement expansion plans in the occupied West Bank. 'The UK condemns these actions,' Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer said on the X social media platform. 'Settlements are illegal under international law, further imperil the two-state solution, and do not protect Israel.' The British government last week imposed new sanctions on three people, two illegal settler outposts and two organizations that they said were supporting violence against the Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said at the time that the illegal settlements were spreading across the West Bank with support of the Israeli government. Israel authorized 22 more Jewish settlements in the West Bank. This would include new settlements and the legalization of outposts already built without government authorization. Defense Minister Israel Katz called the settlement decision 'a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel.' The Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now said the announcement was the most extensive move of its kind since the 1993 Oslo accords that launched the now-defunct peace process. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want it to be the main part of their future state. Most of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to resolving the decades-old conflict. Israel has already built well over 100 settlements across the territory that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small hilltop outposts to fully developed communities with apartment blocks, shopping malls, factories and parks. The West Bank is home to 3 million Palestinians, who live under Israeli military rule.
