ISTANBUL 

Palestine urged the international community on Monday to recognize a Palestinian state and intensify efforts to end Israel’s decades-long occupation.

Addressing a high-level conference on a two-state solution at the UN headquarters in New York, Palestinian Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa praised France’s planned move to recognize Palestinian statehood formally and called on other countries to follow suit without delay.

“I salute the historic and courageous decision of France and President (Emmanuel) Macron to recognize the state of Palestine in September,” he said. “I call on all those who have yet to do so, to recognize the state of Palestine without delay.”

On Thursday, Macron confirmed that Paris would officially recognize Palestine during the UN General Assembly in September.

So far, 149 of the UN General Assembly’s 193 member states have recognized Palestine – a number that has steadily risen since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023.

Mustafa called for “every action to end the war” on the Palestinian people, including an immediate end to the Israeli occupation, and stressed the need to unify the Palestinian territories under a sovereign government.

“We all must unify Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with no occupation, no siege, no settlements, no forcible displacement, and no annexation,” he said.

“We must act to achieve shared peace, security, and prosperity,” Mustafa said. “I ask you to do that without delay or hesitation.”

The Palestinian foreign minister called for Hamas to relinquish its control of Gaza, as part of a vision for post-war stability.

“Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority,” he said.

“We stand ready to invite regional and international forces to be deployed in full corporate coordination with the State of Palestine as part of a stabilization and protection mission with the Security Council mandate to provide protection to our people and ensure all parties observe the ceasefire.”

The two-day UN conference, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, focuses on reviving peace talks and advancing the implementation of a two-state solution.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.