Saudi-France diplomatic initiative moves Palestine closer to statehood

142 nations on Friday backed a Saudi-French declaration at the UN General Assembly calling for an independent Palestinian state, signaling that Riyadh’s diplomatic push is mobilizing unprecedented global consensus for a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict.

The landmark vote to adopt the “New York Declaration,” which calls for a two-state solution without Hamas involvement, is the latest step in mounting international pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 64,000 people, according to local health officials, injured tens of thousands, and created famine conditions amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the declaration shows that the international community is “charting an irreversible path towards peace in the Middle East.”

“Another future is possible. Two peoples, two states: Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security,” he wrote in a post on X on Friday.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed the adoption of the declaration and said it “confirms the international consensus on moving forward toward a peaceful future in which the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate right to establish an independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

The “New York Declaration,” the outcome of an international conference organized by Saudi Arabia and France in July at UN headquarters, called for a Gaza ceasefire, the release of all hostages, Hamas’ disarmament and the transfer of its weapons to the Palestinian Authority under international supervision, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

It also addressed normalization between Israel and the Arab countries and proposed the deployment of a “temporary international stabilization mission” to Palestine, under the mandate of the UN Security Council, to support the Palestinian civilian population and the transfer of security responsibilities to the PA.

The vote now paves the way for a one-day UN conference on the two-state solution, co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris on Sept. 22, where a number of states including France, the UK, Canada, Belgium, and Australia promised to formally recognize the state of Palestine.

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Formally known as “The New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,” the resolution passed on Friday with overwhelming support, with 142 countries voting in favor. Only 10, including Israel and its key ally the US, voted against, while 12 nations abstained.

The declaration, which embodied Saudi Arabia’s intensifying global efforts to push for a Palestinian state, was already endorsed by the Arab League and co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries.

Friday’s outcome was condemned by the US and Israel. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein denounced the declaration’s adoption as “disgraceful,” saying his country “utterly rejects” it and calling the UN General Assembly “a political circus detached from reality.”

Similarly, Morgan Ortagus, US deputy special envoy to the Middle East, condemned the UNGA’s action as “another misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt” that rewards Hamas and undermines diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza. She added that disarming Hamas and releasing hostages is the key to ending the war.

Hamas has said it will not agree to disarm unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established.

The growing calls for Palestinian statehood come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to escalate the conflict. On Tuesday, he authorized airstrikes on Hamas targets in Qatar during a meeting weighing a US ceasefire proposal — a move which was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond for undermining peace efforts and violating Qatar’s sovereignty.

Under his command, Israel has been pressing ahead with a major military offensive in Gaza City despite international outrage. On Thursday, a day before the UN vote, he vowed “there will be no Palestinian state” as he signed an agreement to push ahead with the controversial E1 settlement expansion plan that will split the West Bank, further undermining the potential for a Palestinian state.

Analysts warned that while the UN’s adoption of the declaration may not bring immediate changes on the ground without concrete international action, it underscores a strategic diplomatic defeat for Israel, even as it claims military victories.

Hani Nasira, an Egyptian writer, academic and political expert, believes the overwhelming backing for the declaration reflects the intensifying international rejection of the practices of Netanyahu’s right-wing government, along with the growing embarrassment this causes for the US as his key ally.

“Israel has lost its international image and opposition to Netanyahu’s government has increased both globally and at home. Those who support it now find themselves in deep embarrassment,” Nasira told Arab News.

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He said Netanyahu’s decision to persist appears unsustainable for Israeli citizens, the region and the world at large.

“The concern today is not only for Palestine, but the threat has spread to Gulf security. The latest attacks have undermined Qatar’s role as mediator and shaken Washington’s image as a reliable ally,” said Nasira, warning that Israel’s actions are destabilizing the region.

While Palestinian statehood is viewed as the solution, the prospect remains out of immediate reach.

Nasira said Israel’s continued aggression in the region, provocative rhetoric including Netanyahu’s vision of a “Greater Israel,” and the deep internal divisions among Palestinian factions pose a serious challenge to the peace plan.

He warned that the region is at a “turning point” that requires exploring realistic alternatives “without being dragged onto Netanyahu’s extremism that threatens not only the peace process but the entire region.”

If anything, Nasira said, Israel’s violations in Gaza highlight the need for a multipolar world order, rather than one dominated by the US, particularly under Donald Trump’s second presidency.

Israel’s major diplomatic defeat at the UN General Assembly mirrored a sharp shift in tone from several European nations toward its conduct in Gaza and the occupied territories.

Five European countries, including Spain, The Netherlands, and Ireland, have now banned all imports from illegal Israeli settlements, while EU institutions are calling for the suspension of trade portions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and are considering sanctions.

Slovenia, Germany and Spain have begun imposing arms embargo on Israel. The groundswell of support for recognition of Palestine is also seen as a means of increasing pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza, which was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.

Nasira said the landmark vote also reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing diplomatic influence, both regionally and internationally, especially in relation to the Palestinian cause.

“Saudi Arabia’s influence draws on its global stature, economic clout, Islamic symbolism, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s prominence on the world stage, and a track record of the Kingdom’s balanced, effective diplomacy that resonates regionally and internationally,” Nasira told Arab News.

The Kingdom’s diplomatic efforts have been hailed by observers and analysts for reviving global momentum behind the two-state solution after years of diminished focus before the war in Gaza.

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The momentum built on the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative, adopted at the 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut, which proposed normalization between Arab states and Israel in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories — including the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights — the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue.

The “New York Declaration” was seen as bringing global consensus around that initiative, effectively positioning it as the foundation for renewed international dialogue on the two-state solution.

Since the Gaza war broke out, the Kingdom has led an international push to secure a ceasefire and lay the groundwork for lasting, sustainable peace in Palestine.

Over the past two years, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal has championed the Kingdom’s diplomatic commitment by sponsoring international conferences, building broad alliances with partner nations, and providing critical funding for food and medical supplies to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

In September 2024, Prince Faisal announced the formation of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, mobilizing 90 states with aims to end the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Kingdom held follow-up meetings in Riyadh, Brussels and Oslo in the following months focusing on concrete action points identified by the participants.

That same month, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ruled out a Saudi normalization deal with Israel without an “independent Palestinian state.”

These diplomatic efforts culminated in the Saudi-French UN conference in July, which sought to establish a clear political framework beyond vocal advocacy to end the Gaza war and press for recognition of a Palestinian state in line with UN resolutions.

The success of this initiative was highlighted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his Wednesday address before the Saudi Shoura Council, where he said “the international conference on implementing the two-state solution, held in New York, achieved unprecedented mobilization and reinforced global consensus” on the Arab Peace Initiative.

He said the Kingdom’s efforts have borne fruit in driving more countries to recognize Palestine and garnered increased international support for implementing a two-state solution, calling on other countries to follow suit.

Condemning Israel’s “crimes of starvation and forced displacement” in Gaza, he reiterated the Kingdom’s stance that “the land of Gaza is Palestinian, and the rights of its people are steadfast, not to be taken away by aggression or nullified by threats,” while emphasizing an unwavering support for Qatar following the Israeli attacks.

Now the region awaits the results of the emergency Arab-Islamic summit, hosted by Qatar on Sunday, to discuss a collective response to the Israeli attack on Doha.