UN conference on 2-state solution may help recognition by 10 more countries: Palestinian envoy

ISTANBUL

The UN conference on a two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israel may pave the way for the recognition of Palestine by 10 more countries, the Palestinian envoy to the UN said on Monday.

The UN High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution is set to open in New York on Monday.

Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the two-day conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program.

“The conference may establish the recognition from around 10 other countries, in addition to France, of the implementation of the two-state solution based on the 1947 Partition Plan,” Riyad Mansour told the Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

The UN Partition Plan for Palestine, adopted as Resolution 181 by the UN General Assembly on Nov. 29, 1947, proposes the division of British Mandate Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under international administration.

Mansour recalled that French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that he will recognize a Palestinian state during the upcoming 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September.

He called the planned French move a “door-opener” that may encourage other countries to recognize the Palestinian state or declare their intention to follow suit.

The envoy cited the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, and San Marino as countries that could recognize the Palestinian state.

Mansour welcomed what he described as "a major, courageous, decisive, and important step by France" to recognize Palestine.

The French move, with other recognitions, will lead toward "full UN membership for the State of Palestine," he said.

The diplomat called for the removal of the US veto against their UN membership, saying: "US was the one that blocked our bid in May 2024 to obtain full membership in the United Nations.”

The Palestinian envoy dismissed Israeli claims that the recognition of a Palestinian state would amount to a reward to the Palestinian group Hamas.

“Such claims show a deep disregard for the views of nearly all countries in the world,” he said.

Most countries “are now convinced that after 80 years of the Nakba and occupation, it is time to resolve this issue in a natural and legal manner, based on international legitimacy resolutions and what the international community envisioned in 1947.”