28 Jul 2025, 08:23

UN Meeting on the Resolution of Two States for Israelis and Palestinians

The UN meeting aims to promote the resolution of two states.
Israel and the USA are boycotting the meeting due to disagreements.
Palestinians are seeking international support and recognition.

This week, the UN General Assembly gathers high-ranking officials to advance the resolution of two states in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The goal is to ensure peaceful coexistence of two nations in independent states.

Israel and its close ally, the United States, are boycotting the two-day meeting that starts on Monday, which will be jointly attended by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia. The Israeli right-wing government opposes the two-state solution, while the USA has labeled this meeting "counterproductive" for its own interests following the end of the war in Gaza.

The meeting was postponed from June and reduced from four days to two due to increasing tensions in the Middle East, including the war between Israel and Iran and the situation in Gaza.

French Foreign Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian stated that "it is absolutely necessary to revive the political process, which is under threat, as it has been for some time now."

Why the Two-State Resolution?

The idea of dividing the Holy Land has existed for decades. When the British mandate over Palestine ended, the UN plan for partition in 1947 proposed the division of territory into Jewish and Arab states. Israel accepted the plan, but after the announcement of independence, neighboring Arab states declared war, and the plan was not realized.

After the 1967 war, Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Palestinians aspire to these lands for a future independent state alongside Israel, and the idea of two states based on borders prior to 1967 has been the basis for peace negotiations since the 1990s.

Why is the conference taking place now?

France and Saudi Arabia want to draw attention to the two-state solution as the only viable path to peace in the Middle East and to initiate concrete steps, starting with the end of the war in Gaza.

The joint leaders stated that the main goal of the meeting is to emphasize the actions of "all interested parties" for the realization of the two-state solution.

What is Israel's position?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government opposes the two-state solution on nationalist and security grounds. Its religious and nationalist base considers the West Bank biblical land of the Jewish people.

What is the Palestinians' position?

Palestinians consider the current situation a "state of apartheid" and accuse Israel of undermining peace initiatives through the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

What will happen at the meeting?

All 193 member states of the UN have been invited to the meeting. According to preliminary data, nearly 40 ministers are expected to attend. Given the boycott from the USA and Israel, there may be few representatives at the negotiations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged participants to "preserve the two-state solution on the table" and emphasized the need to create conditions for its realization.