GCC welcomes efforts for two-state solution amid Saudi-French conference

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Al Budaiwi, has reaffirmed the regional body’s support for the creation of an international coalition to implement efforts aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution.

The comments were made during a high-level conference on the two-state solution, led by Saudi Arabia and France, at the UN headquarters in New York.

Al Budaiwi said that GCC foreign ministers held a meeting on the sidelines of the conference, discussing the latest humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israel’s “policy of starvation” in the enclave.

Al-Badawi called for regional and international efforts to lift the siege on the Palestinian people and allow the urgent and unrestricted entry of all humanitarian and relief aid.

The UAE had earlier issued a statement welcoming the conference and France's intended, landmark recognition of Palestinian statehood which is set to "reinforce efforts by the international community to advance the two-state solution." 

In his opening remarks, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning, stressing that the two-state solution - described as the only credible path to peace - has reached “a breaking point” and is now “further away than ever.”

Guterres called for the conference to serve as “a pivotal turning point” and a rare opportunity to make irreversible progress, rather than “another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric.”

Israel's ally the United States, however, called the UN conference a "publicity stunt" that would "embolden Hamas, and reward its obstruction and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace."

The UN head added that the "creeping" annexation of the occupied West Bank is illegal and must cease, describing the developments as part of a systematic erosion of the foundations of peace in the Middle East. 

The Israeli Knesset last week passed a non-binding resolution for the annexation of the occupied West Bank - a move described as a violation of several UN Security Council resolutions and considered invalid. Hours after the motion, the Israeli government allocated an additional $274 million for settlement projects in the West Bank.

A joint statement by 12 Arab and Islamic countries, including the UAE, said that Israel has “no sovereignty” over the occupied Palestinian territory and the vote has no legal effect on the status of the territory, adding such Israeli actions only fuel the growing tension in the region.