Sawt Falasteen - Forceful pleas at UN for two-state solution for Israel, Palestinians

"Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said at the start of the three-day meeting.

Days before the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron announced he would formally recognize Palestinian statehood in September, provoking strong opposition from Israel and the United States.

Luxembourg hinted Monday that it could follow France and recognize a Palestinian state in September, with the possibility that other countries could announce similar plans when the conference resumes Tuesday.

"All states have a responsibility to act now," said Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa at the start of the meeting, calling for an international force to help underwrite Palestinian statehood.

He called for the world to recognize Palestinian statehood, while later demanding that Hamas surrender control of the Gaza Strip and its arms as part of a deal to end fighting in the territory.

France is hoping Britain will follow its lead. More than 200 British members of parliament on Friday voiced support for the idea, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that recognition of a Palestinian state "must be part of a wider plan."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the meeting "the two-state solution is farther than ever before."

According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states now recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988.

In 1947, in a resolution approved by the General Assembly, the United Nations decided to partition Palestine, then under a British mandate, into Jewish and Arab states. Israel was proclaimed in 1948.

For decades, most UN members have supported a two-state solution with Israel and a Palestinian state existing side-by-side.

But after more than 21 months of war in Gaza, the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and Israeli officials declaring designs to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could become geographically impossible.

The current war in Gaza started following a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel, which responded with a large-scale military response that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives and destroyed most infrastructure in the enclave.

Barrot said it would be an "illusion to think that you can get to a lasting ceasefire without having an outline of what's going to happen in Gaza after the end of the war and having a political horizon."

- 'Israeli unilateral actions' -

Beyond facilitating conditions for recognizing Palestine, the meeting will focus on three other issues: reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from Palestinian public life, and normalization of relations with Israel by Arab states.

However, no new normalization deals are expected to be announced at the meeting, according to a French diplomatic source.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said US President Donald Trump could be a "catalyst" to ending the war in Gaza and jump-starting the two-state solution, stressing Riyadh had no plans to normalize relations with Israel.

Following his plea to Trump, the US State Department labeled the three-day event "unproductive and ill-timed," as well as a "publicity stunt" that would make finding peace harder.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said action was needed to counter Israeli "settlements, land confiscation (and) encroachments on the holy sites."

Israel and the United States were not taking part in the meeting, amid growing international pressure on Israel to end nearly two years of war in Gaza.

Despite "tactical pauses" announced by Israel, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza will dominate speeches.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said "this conference does not promote a solution."

R.AbuNasser--SF-PST