French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, "Only a two-state political solution can meet the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative."
He added, "The UN conference currently being held in New York on a peaceful settlement and the two-state solution is a crucial step toward achieving the two-state solution. One of its goals is to obtain pledges from European countries that have announced their intention to recognize the State of Palestine."
He pointed out that "Macron's announcement of France's intention to recognize the State of Palestine is due to the fact that there is no longer any room for waiting."
He pointed out that "the situation in Gaza is beyond imagination, and after the conference, we will adopt a shared vision for the future of Gaza."
For his part, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said, "Riyadh and Paris are determined to transform the international consensus on the two-state solution into a tangible reality, and peace between Israel and Palestine is a fundamental gateway to achieving comprehensive regional peace."
He expressed his belief that the involvement of the United States, especially President Trump, would achieve peace in Gaza.
He stressed that "there is no credibility or justification for any talk of normalization in light of the war and killing in the Gaza Strip."
He also stressed that "there must be one representative of the Palestinian people, which is the Palestinian Authority," explaining that "recognition of the Palestinian state has been a long-standing obligation and should not be tied to an Israeli veto."
Following French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement on Thursday that he would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September, the conference convened by the UN General Assembly and co-chaired by Paris and Riyadh hopes to revive this process.
The United Kingdom is one of the major powers that France wants to persuade to recognize the State of Palestine. However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated on Friday that recognition "must be part of a broader plan," while Germany has no intention of taking this step "in the short term."
"We are all called upon more than ever to act," Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said, calling for the deployment of an international force to protect the Palestinian people.
The "International Palestine Conference" was scheduled to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York from June 17 to 20, with high-level participation and a joint presidency between France and Saudi Arabia. The conference was to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, explore ways to implement the two-state solution, and encourage countries to recognize the Palestinian state.
However, following the Israeli attacks on Iran, which began on June 13 with US support and lasted 12 days, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the postponement of the conference.
Both Israel and its ally, the United States, have expressed their rejection of holding a conference to support the two-state solution.
With US support, Israel is waging a war of genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt the campaign.
The US-backed genocide left more than 205,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 9,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that claimed the lives of many.
