US says it will not attend UN conference on two-state solution

WASHINGTON

The US will not participate in an international conference next week to advance efforts toward achieving a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, the State Department said Thursday.

“There’s nothing further beyond to say other than we will not be in attendance at that conference,” deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said at a news conference when asked about US participation.

The conference is being co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia at the UN headquarters in New York. It is seeking to chart a roadmap for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that he will formally recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, declaring: “Peace is possible.”