UN Gathering Aims to Revive Stalled Palestinian Statehood Push

AFP/APP

United Nations: Fueled by France’s recent pledge to recognize Palestinian statehood, United Nations members will gather next week in a renewed effort to revive the long-stalled two-state solution, even as Israel—likely to be absent—continues its military campaign in Gaza.

The July 28–30 conference in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, comes just days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September.

Macron’s declaration “will breathe new life into a conference that seemed destined to irrelevance,” said Richard Gowan, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. “It changes the game. Other participants will now scramble to decide whether they, too, should move toward recognizing Palestine.”

According to AFP, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states already recognize the State of Palestine, which was declared by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988.

The UN General Assembly first endorsed the partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states in 1947. While Israel was proclaimed in 1948, the two-state vision has long remained an aspiration backed by most UN members—yet never realized.

That vision now appears more fragile than ever. The war in Gaza, now entering its 22nd month, ongoing Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, and open calls by senior Israeli officials for annexing occupied territory have raised fears that a viable Palestinian state may be geographically impossible.

The war erupted following a deadly Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered a large-scale Israeli military response that has since claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.

The upcoming conference seeks to address the deepening crisis. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa is expected to attend, along with dozens of foreign ministers and high-level officials.

‘No Alternative’

Despite rising skepticism, French diplomatic sources stress that the two-state solution remains the only viable path to lasting peace.

“It’s more threatened than ever before, but also more necessary—because there is no alternative,” one French diplomat said.

The conference will also explore three additional issues: reforming the Palestinian Authority, disarming Hamas and removing it from public life, and promoting normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states yet to do so.

However, no announcements on normalization deals are expected at the gathering.

Britain has said it will not recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally, insisting instead on a broader regional peace plan. Macron has also yet to convince Germany to follow France’s lead in recognizing Palestine.

“The conference offers a unique opportunity to turn international law and consensus into an achievable plan,” said Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour. He urged participants to show “courage” to end the decades-long occupation and conflict.

Notably, Israel and the United States will not attend. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, has said his country will boycott the event, criticizing it for failing to prioritize the condemnation of Hamas and the return of Israeli hostages.

As global pressure mounts on Israel to end the war in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis in the blockaded coastal enclave is expected to dominate the speeches of over 100 participating countries.

Gowan predicted “very fierce criticism of Israel” during the three-day summit.