Saudi Arabia and France to lead UN push for recognising Palestinian statehood

Defence affair - andrew roth U.N

Saudi Arabia and France have opened a three-day conference at the United Nations with the goal of recognising Palestinian statehood as part of a peaceful settlement to end the war in Gaza.

The conference began on Monday, just days after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said Paris would officially recognise the Palestinian government in September in an effort to reinvigorate peace talks around a two-state solution that have all but been written off since the deadly Hamas raid and ensuing Israeli military operation that began in 2023.

The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has said that the conference would also serve as a platform for other European countries to recognise Palestinian statehood.

While Barrot did not specify which countries he meant, speculation has focused on the United Kingdom, where Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure from Labour MPs to put pressure on Israel to end the war.

“Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security,” Barrot said at the opening of the talks on Monday. “There is no alternative.”

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said that the kingdom was seeking World Bank approval to transfer $300m to Gaza and the West Bank to counter the dire humanitarian crisis in the territory.

He said that Palestinians had a “legitimate right” to the establishment of an independent state along the borders delineated in 1967 “with East Jerusalem as its capital”.

“This is not merely a political stance, but a firm conviction that an independent Palestinian state is the true key to peace in the region,” he said.

The talks are being co-chaired by 16 other countries and delegations, including the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union.

The UK does not currently recognise Palestine, but Starmer has come under increasing pressure within Labour to help achieve a diplomatic solution. More than 220 MPs, a third of parliament, signed a letter addressed to Starmer on Friday calling for the UK to recognise a Palestinian state.