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NEW YORK: An international conference organized by �������� and France to discuss Palestinian statehood has been rescheduled for later this month.

“The two-state solution ministerial conference will resume on July 28 and 29, details will be shared shortly,” diplomats confirmed to Arab News on Friday.

Originally scheduled for June, the International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution was postponed when Israel launched airstrikes against Iran.

The event was convened by the UN General Assembly and will be co-chaired by France and �������� at the UN headquarters in New York.

The conference aims to urgently adopt concrete measures toward the implementation of a two-state solution and end decades of conflict between Israel and Palestinians.

The event was due to take place on June 17-20, just a few days after Israel launched its 12-day military operation against Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron said at the time that the conference was put back for logistical and security reasons, and insisted that it would be held “as soon as possible.”

He said the delay did not “call into question our determination to move forward with the implementation of the two-state solution.”

Macron is expected to use the event to announce French recognition of a Palestinian state. This week, he urged Britain to do the same.

Palestine is officially recognized by 147 of the UN’s 193 member states and has observer status at the UN but is not a full member. 

Speaking at a preparatory UN meeting in May, Manal Radwan, counsellor at ��������’s Foreign Ministry, said the conference came at a moment of “historic urgency” with Gaza “enduring unimaginable suffering.”

She said �������� was honored to stand with other nations committed to the diplomatic effort to bring “real, irreversible and transformative change, to ensure, once and for all, the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine.”

RIYADH: Mawhiba’s Academic Enrichment Program continues in Yanbu Industrial City on ��������’s Red Sea coast, SPA reports.

The program, which is implemented by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, also known as Mawhiba, has targeted a select group of talented female students in various scientific and cognitive fields.

According to SPA, the program is part of Mawhiba’s efforts to support gifted men and women, and integrates specialized scientific content, practical application and personal and leadership skills development in a stimulating learning environment.

Some 95 female students participating in the program are receiving rich scientific content in tracks that include inventions, chemistry and engineering design, in addition to developing thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship skills, under the supervision of a select group of qualified female trainers.

The program’s activities include scientific visits, applied workshops and mini exhibitions, featuring active interaction from students and parents.

Scientific and creative outputs will conclude the event, showcasing the efforts of the students and education team, which contributes to the discovery, development and support of talents in the field of excellence and creativity, SPA reports.