NEW YORK: As the international community braces for the two-state solution conference in New York on July 28-30, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, expectations are high for renewed political will to end decades of conflict and push forward a viable peace. The conference arrives amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza and a historic diplomatic shift: France’s decision to formally recognize Palestine as a state.
The event — officially titled the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution — is being described as both urgent and historic.
The backdrop is grim: since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, including 50 French nationals, the war in Gaza has taken an unimaginable toll. More than 56,000 Palestinians have died, and the Gaza Strip’s infrastructure and social fabric are in ruins.
From the outset, Saudi Arabia has underscored that recognizing the State of Palestine is not merely symbolic but a “strategic necessity” for regional peace. Ahead of the conference, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan issued a statement saying that the kingdom “spares no effort in supporting all endeavors aimed at achieving just peace in the region and globally. It consistently stresses the importance of implementing the two-state solution through political, diplomatic, and international efforts, as it is a strategic choice that ensures regional and global peace and security.
