UN two-state solution conference rescheduled to end of July

Meeting postponed last month after Israel launched attack on Iran

A meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York. AFP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

A UN conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to advance a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians has been rescheduled for July 28-29, diplomats said on Friday.

The meeting was postponed last month after Israel launched a military attack on Iran, beginning a nearly two-week conflict that ended after the US carried out its own attacks on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, and President Donald Trump declared a general ceasefire.

The conference follows a UN General Assembly resolution passed in September that endorsed an International Court of Justice advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal.

The meeting aims to translate international consensus into concrete steps towards a lasting resolution to the decades-old conflict.

French officials said previously that President Emmanuel Macron would attend and that he was leaning towards formally recognising a Palestinian state. It is unclear if he will attend the rescheduled conference, or if Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be there.

The rescheduled conference comes as a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war appears to be within reach. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting Washington this week, said in an interview that he hoped to reach a hostage release deal within a few days, and Hamas acknowledged that discussions were progressing. Mr Trump has said talks were going "very well".

Israel has repeatedly denounced the conference, saying it rewards Hamas for the October 7 attack that started the Gaza war, and has pressed France not to recognise a Palestinian state.