The seven-page declaration is the result of an international conference held this week at the United Nations headquarters in New York, hosted by Riyadh and Paris, in an attempt to revive international efforts to resolve the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which the United States and Israel boycotted.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said during the conference, "We call on you to support this document before the end of the 79th session of the General Assembly by communicating with the Saudi and French missions in New York." The 80th session of the General Assembly is scheduled to begin next September.
The document outlined the first step toward ending the 22-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It stipulates the formation of a transitional administrative committee in Gaza immediately after a ceasefire, operating under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority.
The declaration also supports the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission, mandated by the UN Security Council, while welcoming the willingness of some member states to contribute troops.
The declaration urges Israel to issue a clear and public commitment to a two-state solution, including the establishment of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, along with an end to violence and incitement against Palestinians, and a suspension of settlement activity and land seizures, including in East Jerusalem.
The declaration stipulates a pledge to take measures to restrict the activities of violent extremist settlers and those who support illegal settlements, and to take specific measures "against entities and individuals who act against the principle of a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, through violence or acts of terrorism, and in violation of international law."
The declaration affirms the interconnectedness of establishing an independent Palestinian state with achieving regional integration, noting that "normal relations and peaceful coexistence in the region can only be achieved by ending the war in Gaza, releasing the hostages, ending the occupation, renouncing violence, ensuring mutual security for both Israel and Palestine, and establishing a sovereign, democratic Palestinian state."
The two-state solution conference kicked off in New York on Monday and will continue until Wednesday. Co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, and with high-level participation, the conference aims to discuss ways to implement the two-state solution and support the process of international recognition of the Palestinian state.
On July 24, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country would recognize the State of Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly in New York next September. Macron said, "In fulfillment of its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine."
Of the 193 member states of the United Nations, at least 142 recognize the Palestinian state declared by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988.
Israel, with US support, has been waging a war of extermination in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
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.
