France, UK Poised to Recognise Palestine at Upcoming UN Summit
The conference, which will be co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, is set to take place from June 17–20 in New York and will focus on efforts to revive the long-stalled two-state solution.
France is reportedly planning to declare recognition of Palestinian statehood at the summit and has been actively encouraging the UK to do the same — an initiative that British officials appear increasingly open to, according to French reports.
Characterized by media sources as a 'point of no return' for the two-state framework, the summit is expected to culminate in a binding roadmap, with concrete timelines for Palestinian statehood and potential punitive measures for those who obstruct its implementation.
Officials within the British Foreign Office told MEE that the US has conveyed its opposition to this potential move, cautioning both nations against formal recognition and pushing them to step back from any such commitments — warnings delivered in spite of growing pressure from Arab governments and various global stakeholders calling for decisive recognition of Palestinian sovereignty.
Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, insisted that Washington lacks any valid justification to intervene in a decision that lies within the sovereign rights of the UK and France. He maintained that recognizing Palestine would affirm its legitimate claim to nationhood and elevate it to equal standing in any future peace process.
During preliminary consultations at the United Nations and at a June 1 meeting in Amman, Arab foreign ministers made clear that the success of the upcoming summit would hinge on formal recognition by influential global powers.
A number of Arab officials condemned Israel's decision to block the high-level delegation — including representatives from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar — from meeting with Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.
The delegation described Israel's obstruction as a 'blatant violation' that illustrates 'the arrogance of the Israeli government' and its continued 'disregard for international law.'
This incident followed Israeli gunfire directed at Arab diplomats in the West Bank just days earlier, with Israel labelling the delegation's presence as 'provocative' and accusing the Palestinian Authority of failing to denounce the events of October 7 — while simultaneously amplifying its narrative of victimhood nearly two years into its live-streamed campaign of genocide in Gaza.
Such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist entity in the heart of the Land of Israel,' claimed an Israeli official, declaring that Israel would refuse to cooperate with what it sees as a threat to its existence.
Should France and the UK proceed, they would become the first G7 members to officially recognize Palestine — a move that would significantly alter Israel's global diplomatic posture.
Israel's threats
Israel has already warned of serious consequences, with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatening annexation of parts of the West Bank in response.
In line with these threats, the Israeli government recently authorized the creation of 22 new illegal settlements in the West Bank, claiming the move was designed to 'strengthen our hold on Judea and Samaria'— a euphemism that attempts to repackage ethnic cleansing and land theft as strategic sovereignty.
Simultaneously, Israeli has revived its highly contentious E1 settlement plan — long denounced for undermining the territorial contiguity of a Palestinian state. The project risks severing East Jerusalem from the West Bank and severing the territory itself.
Earlier in May, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed the government's intent to approve the construction of 3,412 housing units in the E1 zone in the coming months.
The reactivation of the E1 plan has reignited debate in the UK about recognising Palestine, particularly given that Britain had signalled as far back as 2014 that it might do so if Israel advanced the E1 project.
Frustration continues to mount in Britain and across Europe, as Israel's aggressive expansion of settlements — and its blatant defiance of international law — shatter any remaining illusions of a genuine two-state outcome.
While framed as a peaceful and just breakthrough, the two-state solution is also widely controversial as it legitimizes Israel's occupation and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians since 1948. This framework offers a fragmented and non-sovereign state in only 22% of historic Palestine, and denies millions of refugees their right to return – falsely presenting Israel and Palestine as equal negotiating partners, despite the vast power imbalance and ongoing military occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
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