Israel and US boycott long-awaited UN summit in support of Palestinian state

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during a press briefing with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, fellow co-chair of the UN international conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to work towards a two-state solution

Etan Nechin reports in Haaretz on 29 July 2025:

The long-delayed international summit on the two-state solution opened Monday at the United Nations, drawing representatives from 125 countries – despite the conspicuous absence of both Israel and the United States.

Rescheduled after the June war between Israel and Iran, the high-level gathering is co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia and marks the most significant international push for Israeli-Palestinian dialogue – driven by mounting urgency in the wake of October 7 and Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.

While many nations were represented by deputy foreign ministers, key states – including the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Norway, Qatar, Egypt, and Brazil – sent their top diplomats to New York.

The three-day summit is set to continue, with eight working groups formed to address issues including borders, security arrangements, Jerusalem, refugees, water rights, economic cooperation, institution-building, and mutual recognition – each chaired by a different country.

The summit was not attended by the United States or Israel.  Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, criticized the gathering, writing: “In the alternate reality of the UN, leaders are spending three days discussing a Palestinian state instead of demanding the release of hostages or dismantling Hamas. These are debates detached from reality.”  The U.S. called the conference “unproductive” and “ill-timed” effort that undermines ongoing diplomacy.  “This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

The summit follows French President Emmanuel Macron’s dramatic recognition of Palestinian statehood last week, a move that drew swift condemnation from Israel and the Trump administration.

At the summit’s opening, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud welcomed President Macron’s recognition of Palestine, calling the establishment of a Palestinian state “the key to resolving the region’s conflict.”

He called for an immediate end to what he described as the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the severe violations in the West Bank – holding Israel directly responsible for both.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, “Eighty years after the founding of the United Nations, we cannot accept a world in which civilians – women and children – are shot as they arrive at food distribution centers,” he said. “It is unacceptable. Your strong presence here reflects the growing international consensus to end the war in Gaza.”

Barrot called the October massacre a horrendous “antisemitic” attack but war waged by the Israeli government – including settlement expansion – threaten the very foundation of a two-state solution,” Barrot said. “That is why this conference exists: to revive the peace camp, to reverse the trend of erasure, and to insist that peace is still possible.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the two-state solution is now “farther than ever before,” citing ongoing conflict, deepening occupation, and the lack of any credible political horizon.  Guterres condemned Hamas’s October 7 attacks, but also described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as an “obliteration,” pointing to mass civilian casualties, starvation, and the widespread destruction of infrastructure. “The time is running out,” he said.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said Hamas must “lay down its weapons” and called for a ceasefire deal that includes “the release of hostages.”

This aligns with the letter Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sent to Macron – a message French Foreign Minister Barrot called “historic.” In it, Abbas condemned the October 7 attack, pledged to hold Palestinian Authority elections within a year, and declared that any future Palestinian state would be demilitarized.

At a joint press conference, Al Saud reiterated that normalization with Israel only with a foundation of a Palestinian state. “Recognition is very much tied to the establishment of a Palestinian state. But it can only open if the conflict in Gaza ends, and the suffering of the people of Gaza is alleviated, because there’s no reason or no credibility to have a conversation about normalization with constant death and suffering and destruction in Gaza.”

While affirming support for hostage negotiations led by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S., he condemned Israel’s continued expansion of settlements and warned against “any attempt to separate Gaza from the rest of Palestinian territory or to displace its people under any justification.”

Barrot emphasized that Macron’s recognition was not a symbolic gesture, but the start of a broader campaign to realign international diplomacy. He said Macron’s formalizing the recognition in UN General Assembly in September would serve as the moment to “formalize collective mobilization – before it’s too late.”

Asked whether France will sanction Israel, Barrot said steps he said Israel must take: transferring over $2 billion owed to the Palestinian Authority, halting settlement construction in the E1 corridor, canceling plans for more than 300 housing units in the West Bank, and ending the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), which he described as “a militarized system that has resulted in a bloodbath.”  “We know exactly what terms Israel must meet,” Barrot said. “This cannot continue.”

Responding to the U.S. decision to boycott the summit, Barrot pushed back on Washington’s efforts to frame the Abraham Accords as a substitute for Palestinian statehood. “We do not share those reservations,” he said. “The logic of normalization cannot be stopped – but it must be anchored in a comprehensive peace effort. We believe the U.S. will, in time, return to that logic.”  “We continue to have faith in President Trump’s ability to help deliver – not just an end to the war, but a long-term resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Al Saud said.

The three-day summit is set to continue, with eight working groups formed to address different aspects of the issue. It comes as humanitarian agencies raise alarm over mass starvation in Gaza, where Palestinians remain under a punishing blockade on food and aid.

While no binding resolutions are expected, preparations for a broader diplomatic rollout at the UN General Assembly in September signal a growing willingness among global powers to pursue a diplomatic course on Israel-Palestine without waiting for U.S. leadership – or Israeli participation.

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