Turkish President Erdogan to address high-level conference on Palestinian statehood

NEW YORK

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will address a high-level conference Monday on Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in New York.

The conference, sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, will attempt to revive the long-stalled "two-state solution": one Israeli, one Palestinian, coexisting within secure and recognized borders.

Before heading to New York on Sunday, Erdogan said what distinguishes this year’s General Assembly from its predecessors is that many countries will announce their recognition of the state of Palestine.

"We hope these decisions to recognize Palestine will add momentum to the implementation of the two-state solution," he added.

Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal officially recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday, with several other nations expected to announce similar moves during this week’s high-level meeting.

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce France’s recognition of the state of Palestine during the conference.

Despite the US’s refusal to grant Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to travel to New York in person, the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution enabling Abbas to address the summit by video link.

In 2012, Palestine was granted non-member observer state status in the UN.

The members of the UN Security Council voted in favor of permitting the observer for Palestine to participate in the Council’s discussion on the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

But regardless of how many nations recognize Palestinian statehood, full UN membership still hinges on approval from the Security Council — where the US holds veto power.