'No alternative' to two-state solution, says France

UN conference on Palestinian-Israeli conflict in New York criticised by US State Department as a 'reward for terrorism'

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speak at the UN in New York. AP

There is “no alternative” to a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians, France told a UN conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia.

The summit in New York comes days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to formally recognise a Palestinian state in September, and as international outrage over the humanitarian situation in Gaza mounts.

“Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said at the start of the three-day meeting on Monday.

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Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters in New York that US President Donald Trump is an “essential” actor that could act as a “catalyst” to end the Gaza war.

“President Trump has in fact had success already in this regard, he was able to facilitate the first and only ceasefire so far in this conflict,” said Prince Faisal. “We, as strong partners of the United States, continue to work closely with the US on many issues, and we hope that the US will continue to lead in the efforts for peace.”

He also stressed that Riyadh would not normalise ties with Israel without an end to the Gaza war.

Mr Barrot told reporters at the United Nations that while there is international consensus that the time for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is now, world powers need to back up their words with actions.

He urged the European Commission to call on Israel to lift a financial blockade on two billion euros he says the Israeli government owes the Palestinian Authority, stop settlement building in the West Bank, which threatens the territorial integrity of a future Palestinian state, and end the “militarised” food delivery system in Gaza by the Israeli-backed US Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa told the high-level conference that the push for a two-state solution was a message to Israelis that peace and regional integration were still possible.

“It will be achieved through our independence, not our destruction,” Mr Mustafa said.

“Israelis are not doomed to be at eternal war. There is another way, a better way, that leads to shared peace, shared security and shared prosperity in our region, not for one at the expense of the other, but for all.”

Mr Mustafa called on Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.

The US State Department condemned the high-profile conference, calling it “unproductive” and “ill-timed”.

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“This effort is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7 and a reward for terrorism,” spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. “It keeps hostages trapped in tunnels. The United States will not participate in this insult but will continue to lead real-world efforts to end the fighting and deliver a permanent peace.”

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the summit must not become another “exercise in well-meaning rhetoric”.

“It must serve as a decisive turning point, and it is the sine qua non for peace across the wider Middle East,” he asserted.

Mr Guterres stressed that the devastation in the coastal enclave has reached an intolerable level and “nothing can justify the obliteration of Gaza that has unfolded before the eyes of the world”.

The UN chief criticised Israel’s policies, including a Knesset declaration last week supporting the annexation of the occupied West Bank calling it “illegal”.

“The wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable, it must stop,” he said.