The ministerial meeting hosted by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will convene at the UN Headquarters in New York today and tomorrow.
The meeting is expected to be attended by Prime Minister of Palestine, Mohammad Shtayyeh, alongside several ministers from around the world. Israel and the US will not participate in this meeting.
Presided over by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, alongside Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Noel Barrot, the meeting constitutes a joint French-Saudi initiative aimed at revitalising the momentum of the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Qatar confirms its full support for the two-state solution and stresses the importance of taking irreversible steps to achieve this solution that ensures the establishment of the independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and pushes back on any attempt to undertake either demographic or regional change in this state.
Ahead of the anticipated meeting in New York, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that he intends to officially recognise Palestinian statehood next September.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah affirmed that his country’s joint presidency, alongside France, of the Two-State Solution Implementation Conference, is a reflection of Saudi Arabia’s firm and longstanding stance on the Palestinian cause.
A Reuters report, quoting the Financial Times, said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will recall his cabinet from their summer break to discuss the situation in Gaza, amid growing pressure on the Labour government to recognise a Palestinian state.
The UK parliament and cabinet are currently in a summer recess until September 1.
The recall comes after Starmer said on Friday the British government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action.