G7 fails to find consensus on two-state solution to Palestine-Israel conflict

Ministers call for ‘political horizon’ for Palestinians

Foreign ministers from the EU, Japan, the UK, France, Canada, the US, Germany and Italy pose for a 'family photo' at the G7 meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada. AP

Foreign ministers from the world’s seven leading democracies failed to agree on the need for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict this week, instead calling for a “political horizon” for Palestinians.

The ministers underscored the imperative of finding a “negotiated solution” to the conflict that “meets the legitimate needs and aspirations of both peoples and advances comprehensive Middle East peace, stability and prosperity”.

The US was the lone country to object to directly referencing a two-state solution, a source told The National.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly speaks during the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada. Reuters

This outcome is in stark contrast to previous statements that followed meetings held during former US president Joe Biden's time in office, when the group repeatedly called for a two-state solution.

Speaking to reporters at the site of the G7 meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Ottawa's position on the issue remained clear: “We believe in a two-state solution, period.”

When asked whether France still supports a two-state solution, the country's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said “of course”. Italy's Foreign Minister also publicly endorsed a two-state solution.

The ministers repeated their call for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and also raised concerns about “growing tensions and hostilities in the West Bank”, where Israeli settlers have assaulted Palestinians and Israeli troops have carried out scores of raids in an attempt to root out militant groups.

The group also expressed support for Lebanon and Syria, and reiterated the importance of their “sovereignty and territorial integrity”. Israel has launched strikes against targets in both countries, as concerns mount that the Gaza war will continue to spill over into other countries.

The G7 ministers were unified in their concern over the role Iran plays in the region and said that Tehran must “never be allowed to develop and acquire a nuclear weapon”. The statement comes after US President Donald Trump said he had sent a letter to Iranian leadership expressing a desire to restart negotiations on a nuclear deal.

On the Russia-Ukraine war, the group welcomed recent developments brokered by the US, in which Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire.

“We called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully,” they said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he supports the idea of a ceasefire but wanted a meeting with Mr Trump to iron out details.

The group also discussed implementing more sanctions on Russia if it does not agree to the ceasefire.

To mark the third year of the Ukraine-Russia war, The National looks back at some of the striking images captured during the conflict. Getty Images

Ukrainians working at the site of a rocket strike on the 'Okhmadyt' children's hospital in Kyiv in 2024. EPA

A woman walks past a memorial wall dedicated to fallen defenders of Ukraine in downtown Kyiv in 2024. EPA

A damaged town sign in Orikhiv, near the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, in 2024. EPA

Gravediggers prepare the burial site for victims of a Russian missile strike in Hroza in 2023. Getty Images

Widow Lubov Doroshenko, 67, returns to her destroyed home in 2023 in Bohorodychne. Getty Images

A Ukrainian serviceman of the 24 Separate Mechanized Brigade fires a mortar towards Russian positions, at an undisclosed location in the Donetsk region in 2023. EPA

Emergency workers search the remains of a residential building that was struck by a Russian missile in Dnipro in 2023. Getty Images

Ukrainian national flags waving over the graves of fallen Ukrainian soldiers in a military cemetery in Kharkiv in 2023. EPA

A woman walks by destroyed buildings 20 miles west from the front lines of fighting in the Donetsk Region in 2023. Getty Images

A view taken through the broken glass of a window overlooking the site of a damaged residential building in Dnipro in 2023. EPA

Numbers mark the graves of unidentified people killed during fighting at the cemetery in Mariupol in 2022. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen shoot from a captured Russian 152, 4mm howitzer Msta-B on a front line near Kupyansk city in 2022. EPA

A prothesis is adjusted on an Azov Regiment serviceman at a rehabilitation centre in Kyiv in 2022. EPA

Cars drive past the shell of a rocket in Shevchenkove, Kharkiv region, in 2022. EPA

A Ukrainian serviceman rests while travelling with a team of humanitarian volunteers in the Kherson area in 2022. EPA

A destroyed bridge in Kupiansk in 2022. Getty Images

A girl arrives at an evacuation point for people fleeing Mariupol, Melitopol and the surrounding towns under Russian control in 2022. Getty Images

The mother of Ukrainian serviceman Andrii Verkhoglyad holds her son's portrait during his funeral ceremony at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv in 2022. EPA

Self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic militia monitors a section of the road near Avdiivka, Donetsk region, in 2022. EPA

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse after it was hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv in 2022. Getty Images

A Ukrainian soldier waves the Ukrainian national flag while standing on top of an armoured personnel carrier in Hostomel in 2022. Getty Images

A man pushes his bike through debris and destroyed Russian military vehicles in Bucha in 2022. Getty Images

Residents of Irpin flee heavy fighting in 2022. Getty Images

A child on a swing outside a residential building damaged by a missile in Kyiv in 2022. Getty Images

Speaking to reporters, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that regardless of Mr Putin saying he was open to the possibility of a ceasefire, “we're not going to make our foreign policy decisions on the basis of what a leader says at a press conference”.

The meeting in Canada came at a time of unprecedented tension between Ottawa and Washington. Mr Trump has repeatedly called for the annexation of Canada and expressed a desire to see it become the “51st state”. He also has placed major tariffs on Canada and threatened tariffs on the European Union and a host of other countries.

Several of the ministers wore small maple leaf pins on their lapels in an apparent show of solidarity with Canada. On Thursday, the German embassy in Ottawa posted a video on social media showing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas standing side by side, one in red, one in white, and gazing out over the icy waters of the Saint Lawrence River. The caption read: “We’ve got your back.”

Ms Joly met her American counterpart Mr Rubio on Thursday morning, and said they had a long, frank conversation.

“Canada's sovereignty is not up to debate. Period. There's no argument. There's no conversation about it. There's no need to talk about it. You're here. You respect us,” she said she had told him.