More than 140 world leaders are descending on New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly summit, which will be dominated this year by the future of the Palestinians and Gaza.
One world leader who will miss the gathering is Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, who Washington denied a visa to attend, along with his officials.
The humanitarian catastrophe ravaging the small Palestinian territory will top the agenda, two years after the beginning of the Israeli genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
In a break with convention, the General Assembly voted on Friday to allow Abbas to address the event by video link while he is represented in the chamber by the Palestinian ambassador.
France and Saudi Arabia will convene dozens of world leaders on Monday to rally support for a two-state solution, with several of them expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state, a move that could draw harsh Israeli and US responses.
Israel and the United States will boycott the summit, said Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon, describing the event as a “circus”.
“We don't think it's helpful. We think it's actually rewarding terrorism,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Israeli occupation
Israel is considering annexing part of the occupied West Bank as a possible response, as well as specific bilateral measures against Paris, Israeli officials have said.
The US administration has also warned of possible consequences for those who take measures against Israel, including against France, whose president, Emmanuel Macron, is hosting the New York summit.
The summit, ahead of this week's United Nations General Assembly, follows Israel's launch of a long-threatened ground occupation of Gaza City and amid few prospects for a ceasefire two years after Tel Aviv’s genocide in the Palestinian enclave.
Amid Israel's intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, there is a growing sense of urgency to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever.
The General Assembly endorsed a seven-page declaration this month outlining "tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps" towards a two-state solution.
Those efforts drew immediate rebukes from Israel and the United States, calling them harmful and a publicity stunt.
"The New York Declaration is not a vague promise for the distant future, but rather a roadmap that begins with the top priorities: a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza," France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters on Thursday.
"Once the ceasefire and release of hostages are achieved, the next step is a plan for the day after, which will be on the agenda for Monday’s discussions."
A Palestinian state
Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal all recognised Palestine on Sunday. France and five other states are expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state on Monday.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not attending despite co-hosting the event. The General Assembly agreed on Friday - by consensus, without a vote - that he could appear via video at Monday's meeting.
"The world is saying out loud a Palestinian state, and we need to materialise it. Now they need to show what these measures are," Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin told reporters on Sunday.
