A Palestinian state is getting a powerful new push.
Dozens of world leaders gathered Monday to rally support for a two-state solution, with the United States and Israel set to boycott the summit as they find themselves increasingly isolated by a rising tide of traditional allies responding to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced at the meeting at the United Nations on Monday that France is formally recognizing a Palestinian state.
“The time has come. This is why, true to the historic, historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. This is why I declare that today, France recognizes the state of Palestine,” he said.
The summit, convened by France and Saudi Arabia, comes after the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal all announced their formal recognition of the state of Palestine on Sunday, with several other nations expected to follow suit at the United Nations General Assembly this week.
These Western powers may be hoping to breathe new life into the idea as a way to resolve the conflict, but Israel's hard-line government has instead vowed to retaliate while pressing ahead with its deadly assault on Gaza City that has forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said both Israel and the U.S. would boycott Monday's summit, branding it a "circus." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried the moves as a "huge reward to terrorism" and vowed there "will be no Palestinian state."
A source briefed on the Israeli Cabinet’s discussions said Israel would not respond before Netanyahu met with Trump. “He’s not going to do anything without the backing of the U.S., they said.
The Trump administration has also warned of possible repercussions for countries taking measures against Israel, including France.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the meeting on Monday that Palestinians have a right to their own state.
"Statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward, and denying statehood would be a gift to extremists everywhere," he said.
Hopes for a two-state solution have dwindled in the midst of Israel's nearly two-year offensive in Gaza — and as efforts to negotiate a ceasefire to end the war and free the remaining hostages have repeatedly failed.
Palestinian statehood, which would see an internationally recognized state in territories seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War, is now formally recognized by around 75% of U.N. member countries. But that recognition remains largely symbolic.
Gershon Baskin, an Israeli who has acted as a mediator with Hamas for decades and a staunch advocate of a two-state solution, said that he welcomed the growing recognition. But without further action, including sanctions against Israel, he said the move will do little to "change the lives of Palestinians" on the ground.
"It's really a step in the right direction," Baskin said in a phone interview Monday of the summit at the General Assembly. But, calling Israel's offensive in Gaza "a genocide," he said, "the most important thing now ... is to end the war in Gaza and that comes before everything else."
It is unclear how effective Monday’s summit will be in advancing efforts to end the war in the face of furious opposition from Israel and the U.S., which blocked Palestinian officials from even attending the U.N. gathering.
Baskin noted the possibility of retaliation from Israel in response to the diplomatic moves by France, the U.K. and others, with far-right members of Netanyahu's government pushing for the annexation of part of the occupied West Bank.
Speaking with the BBC ahead of Monday's summit, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she had directly warned her Israeli counterpart against such a move.
Baskin warned that any "annexation steps by Israel, which would be illegal against international law" would only result in further isolation of the country on the international stage.
“This conflict has to be resolved — and the only way to resolve it is through the two-state solution,” he said.
Palestinians in the West Bank also welcomed the growing international recognition, but said more must be done.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said it “welcomes and thanks the countries that have recognized the State of Palestine,” calling their decisions “courageous and consistent with international law and international legitimacy resolutions.”
“Certainly, these successive recognitions raise the morale of the Palestinian people, as they confirm that the blood of our Palestinian people has not been shed in vain,” one resident of Ramallah, Hussam Abu Nasr, told The Associated Press.
Fellow Ramallah resident Abdullah Fayad called the latest round of announcements “belated,” but agreed it was a “step in the right direction.”
