UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday slammed Israel’s continued illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling them "morally, legally, and politically intolerable."
"Let's have no illusions: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has gone unresolved for generations," Guterres said in New York at an international conference on Palestine and the two-state solution, emphasising the failure of diplomacy and UN resolutions.
Guterres began by thanking France and Saudi Arabia for organising the event, but expressed "disappointment" over the US denying Palestinian officials the "opportunity to be fully represented" at this week’s UN General Assembly and related gatherings, referring to its denying them visas.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his nation officially recognises the state of Palestine.
"I declare that today France recognises the state of Palestine," Macron said at an international conference on Palestine in New York ahead of the start of this week’s UN General Assembly.
He emphasised that the recognition represents "the only solution that will allow for Israel to live in peace."
He thanked other nations that also recently announced recognition, including Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and San Marino.
Recognition "paves the way for useful negotiations and is useful for Israelis and Palestinians" working toward "a peace and security plan for all," Macron added.
The conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, follows up on a similar gathering in July.
Palestine welcomes France's recognition
Palestine welcomed recognition of the Palestinian state by “friendly” France, hailing it as “a historic and courageous decision that aligns with international law and UN resolutions.
”France's recognition supports ‘efforts made to achieve peace and implement the two-state solution'," said a Palestinian Foreign Ministry statement.
“We value the pioneering role played by France and President Macron in encouraging many countries to initiate their recognition and in mobilising international support to ensure the success of the two-state solution conferences and their outcomes, in full partnership with the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement added.
Saudi Arabia calls on all countries to recognise Palestine
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan has called on all countries to follow a slew of Western countries and recognise a Palestinian state.
"We call on all other countries to take a similar historic step that will have a great impact on supporting the efforts towards implementation of the two-state solution," he said at a UN conference.
