New York: France and 14 other Western nations called on countries worldwide to move to recognise a Palestinian state, France’s top diplomat said Wednesday.
“In New York, together with 14 other countries, France is issuing a collective appeal: we express our desire to recognise the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X account, following a conference aimed at reviving the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.
Saudi Arabia and France called on countries to support a declaration that outlines “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” towards implementing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
The first step outlined in the declaration is to end the 21-month war on Gaza.
Following the ceasefire, a transitional administrative committee must be immediately established to operate in Gaza under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority,” the declaration said.
It supported the deployment of a temporary international stabilisation mission, mandated by the UN Security Council, and welcomed “the readiness expressed by some member states to contribute troops”.
It calls on Israel’s leadership to “issue a clear public commitment to the two-state solution, including a sovereign and viable Palestinian State,” to immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, and to halt all land grabs and annexation activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.
“Only by ending the war in Gaza, releasing all hostages, ending occupation, rejecting violence and terror, realizing an independent, sovereign, and democratic Palestinian state, ending the occupation of all Arab territories and providing solid security guarantees for Israel and Palestine, can normal relations and coexistence among the region’s peoples and states be achieved,” it said.
