By Alicia Sánchez Gómez
United Nations, Jul 28 (EFE).- Saudi Arabia and France defended the recognition of two states (one Israeli and one Palestinian) as a means of confronting the historical conflict with ramifications in the Middle East at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. However, this proposal is “in grave danger.”
“The prospect of having two recognized and respected states is in grave danger,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot during the first day of the International Conference for the Two-State Solution in the Middle East, which he co-chaired with his Saudi counterpart.
According to the French representative, the idea of two states was threatened by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, “the worst anti-Semitic massacre since the Holocaust,” as well as by the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza, which have long since lost their political or military justification.
Like Barrot, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday that the two-state solution was “further away than ever,” despite being backed by the General Assembly and the international community.
Barrot called on Israel to abandon its settlement projects, which he said threatened “the continuity of the future State of Palestine,” and demanded an end to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the controversial American organization responsible for distributing humanitarian aid in the Strip.
United States absence
The Trump administration has strongly opposed this conference, deciding not to attend and describing it as “unproductive and untimely.”
However, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan stated that the US is essential for peace in the Middle East and that President Donald Trump could be a catalyst for ending the Gaza crisis and resolving the conflict.
Like the US, Israel rejected this event and did not send a representative to the forum.
Delivery of food and aid to Gaza
Beyond defending the two-state proposal, some countries participating in the conference announced measures aimed at helping Palestinians.
Canada reported that it would invest 30 million dollars to distribute aid in the Strip through the Jordan corridor, while Spain announced that it would send 12 tonnes of food to the area by air.
The conference is taking place at a time when Israel is severely restricting the entry of food and humanitarian aid, leading to a famine crisis for the population of Gaza.
Furthermore, since the Israeli offensive against Gaza began in 2023 following Hamas’s attacks, the Ministry of Health reports that the total number of deaths in the Strip due to Israeli bombing exceeds 58,000.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa said that Palestinians have been “waiting for many years for international intervention to lead us towards a specific solution.” He also called for an international Arab “support force” to guarantee a ceasefire in the Strip. EFE
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