tag

Luxembourg announced its intention to join the countries that will recognize the State of Palestine during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York next week. Arriving at an EU meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel confirmed earlier remarks made by Prime Minister Luc Frieden, who had told members of the Grand Duchy's Foreign Affairs Committee in a closed meeting that his government was committed to a two-state solution. Frieden said his government was convinced that the two-state formula offered the only path to lasting peace in the region. He acknowledged that such peace would not be achieved overnight but described recognition of Palestine as a step demonstrating that the solution remained possible. He added that for this reason Luxembourg intended to join the states recognizing Palestine at next week's conference on the two-state solution. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Luxembourg's plan, calling it a courageous position consistent with international law and UN resolutions and part of broader efforts to advance calm and peace on the basis of two states. Several other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Canada, have recently announced similar intentions to recognize Palestine during the General Assembly session, following a proposal drafted by France and Saudi Arabia. Last Friday, the UN General Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority to adopt the New York Declaration, which lays out concrete, time-bound, and irreversible steps toward implementing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of the next session scheduled for Sep. 22. Out of the UN's 193 member states, at least 149 already recognize the Palestinian state declared by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988.

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly voted to endorse a declaration outlining "tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps" towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of a meeting of world leaders.The seven-page declaration is the result of an international conference at the UN in July - hosted by Saudi Arabia and France - on the decades-long conflict.The United States and Israel boycotted the event.A resolution endorsing the declaration received 142 votes in favor and 10 against, while 12 countries abstained.Qatar welcomes adoption of resolutionQatar welcomed the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the "New York Declaration" on the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.In a statement Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that that the adoption of the resolution reflects the broad international endorsement of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them their right to establish an independent state. This outcome is also consistent with the recent announcements by several states of their intention to recognise the State of Palestine during the month of September. The ministry expressed Qatar's appreciation for the efforts of Saudi Arabia and France, which contributed to the issuance and adoption of the declaration.

Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative to the UN, ambassador Abdulaziz al-Wasil, presented an oral draft resolution during Saturday's session of the UN General Assembly on behalf of Saudi Arabia and France.The resolution pertained to the resumption of the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. It was adopted by consensus without a vote.Ambassador al-Wasil reaffirmed the shared commitment of Saudi Arabia and France to upholding international law and implementing relevant UN resolutions, highlighting that the key objectives of the conference include the protection of international legitimacy and taking practical steps toward achieving lasting peace in the Middle East region.On July 28, 2025, the aforementioned conference kicked off at the headquarters of the UN General Assembly in New York, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.It primarily aimed to bring the occupation to an end and to support the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.