��������

LONDON: The “vast mobilization” of international support by �������� and France for the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict aims to convince the US that there is an “absolute urgency” to end the war in Gaza, the French presidency said on Tuesday.

The Elysee held a high-level briefing attended by Arab News ahead of an international conference on the two-state solution at the UN headquarters in New York City on Sept. 22.

The conference is the result of months of joint work between Riyadh and Paris, and follows a series of steps to legitimize the event in the international arena as the “only viable solution and option on the table in order to come out of this terrible crisis,” the French presidency said.

The idea for the conference “came as a result of the state visit that President (Emmanuel) Macron paid to ��������” last year, the Elysee said.

“We were working with �������� in reflecting on what kind of initiative we could jointly take in order to get a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the war and a political solution to the crisis that would lead finally to the creation of two states and bring peace and security to all people in the region.”

A decision was made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Macron last December to organize and elevate the proposed conference as a mechanism for implementing the two-state solution.

The UN General Assembly later voted to give a mandate to �������� and France to host the conference, which held its first stage at the UN in July.

That event resulted in the New York Declaration, a final outcome document that was hailed by French Ambassador to the UN Jerome Bonnafont as a “single road map to deliver the two-state solution.”

Last week, the UNGA voted overwhelmingly in favor of endorsing the resolution, which received 142 votes in favor and 10 against, while 12 countries abstained.

The French presidency on Tuesday described its joint efforts with �������� as “the only viable solution” to bring peace and legitimate nationhood to the Palestinians, while also responding to the “legitimate aspiration of Israel to security.”

Though the New York Declaration condemns Hamas and seeks to secure its international isolation, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon last week accused the majority of the UNGA of “advancing terror.”

US diplomat Morgan Ortagus told the chamber that the resolution was a “gift to Hamas,” adding: “Far from promoting peace, the conference has already prolonged the war, emboldened Hamas and harmed the prospects of peace in both short and long term.”

The French presidency rebuffed those accusations on Tuesday, warning that the “atrocious humanitarian catastrophe” and “unbearable human toll” in Gaza could only be resolved “on the basis of a political horizon for the two-state solution.”

The New York Declaration lays out “both a timeframe and irreversible step towards the two-state solution that would start with a ceasefire, the release of the hostages and humanitarian aid being offered without constraint to the Palestinian population in Gaza,” the Elysee said.

As part of post-war efforts to stabilize Gaza, a reformed Palestinian Authority must be allowed to operate in the enclave through a UN Security Council mandate, it added.

The French presidency highlighted that “all the Arab countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation leaders and the Arab League leaders” accepted the plan, which would see Hamas “have no part” in the administration of post-war Gaza.

The PA’s leader Mahmoud Abbas wrote a letter to Macron and the crown prince on June 9 which, in part, committed to reforming the authority.

As part of the joint international project, a slew of major countries — including Canada, Australia, Belgium and Portugal — have committed to recognizing Palestine at the Sept. 22 conference.

“This is the most significant movement since a long while because, for the very first time, UN Security Council member states but also G7 member states will recognize the state of  Palestine,” the Elysee said.

“This will create a way for us to say that the two-state solution cannot be wiped out by the Israeli operation that we see happening on the ground.”

The French presidency expressed its concern over Israel’s recent strikes on Qatar that targeted Hamas leaders.

In the wake of the attack, leaders from the UK, France, Canada, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt held an emergency remote meeting, pledging solidarity with all Gulf states.

“No country should be stricken and the sovereignty of the neighboring countries of Israel should be respected. We managed to get a clear condemnation in the UN Security Council,” the Elysee said.

“But we need this collective mobilization to be crystal clear, and we hope for Sept. 22 to bring light on this international mobilization that needs to move the needle, and needs to convince the US that there is an absolute urgency to end this war.”