The United Nations conference on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, was postponed following Israel’s unprovoked strikes on Iran on July 13.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the postponement the same day, citing logistical and security concerns that prevented key regional figures—including the Palestinian Authority and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—from attending.
“This delay does not undermine our determination to advance the two-state solution under any circumstances,” Macron insisted.
Originally planned for June 17–20 in New York, the conference was framed as a point of no return for the two-state framework, with reports that France was lobbying the United Kingdom and other European nations to recognize Palestinian statehood at the event.
However, bowing to US and Israeli pressure, France later announced it would not immediately recognize Palestine at the conference. Instead, it intended to use the gathering to outline preconditions, including a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of Israeli captives, reforms within the Palestinian Authority, Gaza reconstruction, and the removal of Hamas from power.
After privately warning the UK and France against unilateral Palestinian recognition, the United States has actively urged foreign governments to boycott the summit altogether.
According to a recently leaked US diplomatic cable obtained by Reuters, Washington explicitly warned countries that attending the conference would be seen as “anti-Israel” and contrary to US foreign policy interests.
In response to the UK-France talks on recognition, Israel announced in May plans to build 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. Defense Minister Israel Katz explicitly declared the expansion “a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
While Israel continues its campaign of forced displacement and genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, the US blocks every avenue for Palestinian survival: vetoing ceasefires, pushing anti-Palestinian policies, whitewashing genocide in the media, and flooding Israel with military aid. Meanwhile, global leaders remain silent, refusing even minimal pressure to defend Palestinian rights—effectively enabling Israel’s settler-colonial project through inaction.
