A major effort to revive the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine kicks off at the United Nations in New York over the next two days.

Convened by the General Assembly and co-facilitated by France and Saudi Arabia, the Two-State solution Conference was meant to take place in early June but was postponed due to Israel’s war against Iran.

The gathering arrives with the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a backdrop, with both Israel and the United States signaling that they will not participate in the conference.

The Ministerial conference will take the form of a main plenary and various roundtable discussions and comes just days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country would recognise the State of Palestine as part of its historical commitment to a just and durable peace in the Middle East – making it the first G7 country to do so.

Despite pushback from the United States that discouraged governments from attending the conference, warning that anti-Israeli actions would be viewed as acting against US foreign policy interests, which could result in diplomatic consequences.

The meeting hopes to shape a forward-looking, action-oriented agenda and implement irreversible measures to make progress toward a two-state solution in accordance with international law.

Israel – Palestine |UN resumes Two-State solution push amid ongoing tensions