Saudi Arabia, France seek support for declaration on two-state solution between Israel, Palestinians
By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia and France on Tuesday called on countries at the United Nations to support a declaration that outlines "tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps" towards implementing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
The seven-page declaration is the result of an international conference at the U.N. this week - hosted by Saudi Arabia and France - on the decades-long conflict. The United States and Israel boycotted the event.
"We call on you to support this document before the end of the 79th session of the General Assembly by contacting the missions of Saudi Arabia and France in New York," Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud told the conference on Tuesday. The 80th U.N. General Assembly is due to start in September.
The first step outlined in the declaration is to end the 22-month war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
"Following the ceasefire, a transitional administrative committee must be immediately established to operate in Gaza under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority," it reads. The Palestinian Authority currently exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank under Israeli occupation.
The declaration supports the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission, mandated by the U.N. Security Council, and welcomes "the readiness expressed by some member states to contribute troops."
It calls on Israel's leadership to "issue a clear public commitment to the two-state solution, including a sovereign and viable Palestinian State," to immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, and to halt all settlement, land grabs, and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem.
The declaration commits to adopting restrictive measures against violent extremist settlers and those who support illegal settlements, and adopting targeted measures "against entities and individuals acting against the principle of the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, through violence or acts of terrorism, and in breach of international law."
It also describes regional integration and independent Palestinian statehood as "intertwined objectives."
"Only by ending the war in Gaza, releasing all hostages, ending occupation, rejecting violence and terror, realizing an independent, sovereign, and democratic Palestinian State, ending the occupation of all Arab territories and providing solid security guarantees for Israel and Palestine, can normal relations and coexistence among the region's peoples and States be achieved," it reads.
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He was first elected to parliament in 2021. Ben-Gvir has called for deporting his political opponents. In an episode in 2022, he brandished a pistol and encouraged police to open fire on Palestinian stone-throwers in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood. In his Cabinet post, Ben-Gvir oversaw the country's police force. He used his influence to encourage Netanyahu to press ahead with the war in Gaza and recently boasted that he had blocked past efforts to reach a ceasefire. As national security minister, he has encouraged police to take a tough line against anti-government protesters. Controversial minister Ben-Gvir secured his Cabinet post after 2022 elections that put Netanyahu and his far-right partners, including Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party, into power. 'Over the last year I've been on a mission to save Israel,' Ben-Gvir told reporters before that election. 'Millions of citizens are waiting for a real right-wing government. The time has come to give them one.' 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