Capitals (Union, Agencies)
Arab international calls have escalated, emphasizing the importance of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This came as the United Nations renewed its calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to prevent escalation in the region. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan called for stopping the escalation in the Gaza Strip and resolving the Palestinian issue by establishing a viable state.
In a television interview yesterday, Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed his country's deep concern about the tensions in the Red Sea.
In turn, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed yesterday that the two-state solution remains the only and optimal way to end the conflict in the Middle East. The British minister stressed that “the Palestinians have the right to have a sovereign state.”
French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségornet also announced that “the Palestinians have the right to sovereignty and to establish a state.”
Sigournet said on the “X” platform, “France will remain faithful to its commitment in order to achieve this goal.”
French President Emmanuel Macron warned last Tuesday that “Israel’s continued launch of sufficiently precise military operations in the Gaza Strip poses a threat to its security in the long term,” calling again for a ceasefire.
In a related context, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, stressed yesterday that the situation in the Middle East is like “a powder keg about to explode, and it is necessary to work to prevent the ignition of conflict throughout the region.”
Guterres stressed in a statement that “the military operations carried out by Israel lead to widespread destruction and the killing of people on an unprecedented scale since he took office.”
He continued: “It is necessary to immediately reach a humanitarian ceasefire to alleviate the suffering in Gaza, allow aid to reach those in need, and facilitate the release of detainees.”
Guterres criticized the repeated rejection of the two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israel, noting that it is “unacceptable.”
He pointed out that depriving the Palestinian people of their rights prolongs the conflict and has become a serious threat to international peace and security.
In addition, European Union foreign ministers are meeting today, Monday, in the Belgian capital, Brussels, and their agenda is to discuss the “two-state solution.” The European ministers will also meet with the foreign ministers of Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League and Israel, in Brussels today as well.
It is expected that during the meeting, which is the first of the Union's foreign ministers this year, preparations for holding an international peace conference for a two-state solution in the Middle East during the coming months will be discussed.
Among the topics on the meeting's agenda is also the European Union's preparations to impose sanctions on illegal settlers who resort to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
Yesterday, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, rejected the statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In a speech at Valladolid University in Spain, Borrell said, “Despite Israel’s insistence on rejection, we believe that the two-state solution will achieve peace, under pressure from the international community.”
Borrell called on the Arab world, Europe, the United States and the United Nations to encourage a two-state solution.
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