By: Fern Sidman

In a diplomatic maneuver signaling a renewed international campaign to advance Palestinian statehood, France and Saudi Arabia will jointly host a high-level conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 28 and 29, aimed at promoting the two-state solution, Israel National News has reported.

The conference, delayed from its originally scheduled date due to the recent Israel-Iran conflict, is now set to unfold against a backdrop of intensifying international pressure on Jerusalem. According to i24NEWS, which first broke the news, and further corroborated by diplomatic sources cited by Reuters, the gathering will bring together an array of state and non-state actors, potentially including senior representatives from the Palestinian Authority (PA), European governments, and Arab League nations.

As the Israel National News report observed, this renewed push for Palestinian statehood reflects a growing sentiment within the European political mainstream that direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have stalled irreparably — and that unilateral recognition is the only remaining tool to advance a political outcome long considered the cornerstone of regional stability.

French President Emmanuel Macron has emerged as one of the leading advocates of this approach. In a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the close of a recent three-day state visit to London, Macron declared his belief that the two-state solution “will allow Israel to live in peace and security with its neighbors.” But beyond reiterating traditional diplomatic formulas, Macron called explicitly for the United Kingdom to follow France in recognizing a Palestinian state. “We must unite our voices in Paris, London, and everywhere else to recognize a State of Palestine and initiate this political dynamic,” he stated.

The Israel National News report emphasized the implications of Macron’s remarks, which mark a significant evolution in France’s position on Middle East diplomacy — shifting from passive endorsement of future negotiations to an active role in pushing for unilateral recognition, irrespective of progress in Israeli-Palestinian dialogue.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while signaling openness to Palestinian recognition “as part of a process,” stressed the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as the current priority. Starmer’s nuanced stance underscores the growing tension within Western capitals between political symbolism and on-the-ground realities. As Israel National News noted, the conflict in Gaza — exacerbated by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, atrocities and subsequent Israeli military responses — has sharply polarized international discourse, with some actors eager to cast the issue of Palestinian statehood as a remedy rather than a consequence of instability.

The Palestinian Authority, for its part, has long advocated for unilateral recognition by foreign governments as a strategy to bypass the complexities and concessions involved in direct negotiations with Israel. As Israel National News has reported, such a strategy has gained traction in the wake of diplomatic inertia and growing European discontent with Israeli settlement policies and military operations.

Yet, as many Israeli analysts caution, these symbolic acts of recognition — while politically resonant — carry limited diplomatic or legal weight. As Israel National News pointed out in its coverage of recent recognitions, “Palestine” does not meet the conventional criteria for statehood under international law: it lacks defined borders, effective governance over its claimed territory, and the capacity to enter into binding agreements as a sovereign entity.

Nevertheless, the momentum continues. In May 2024, Spain, Ireland, and Norway jointly recognized a Palestinian state, joining a cohort of more than 130 nations worldwide that have done so. In June, Slovenia followed suit, with an overwhelming vote in parliament endorsing recognition. Malta is expected to formally join the group in the near future, with Prime Minister Robert Abela having announced his government’s intent in late May.

Israel National News has consistently warned of the diplomatic ramifications of these moves. While they may not alter the strategic calculus on the ground, they risk emboldening hardline factions within the Palestinian camp — particularly those who view unilateralism and international pressure as preferable to negotiation and compromise.

The France-Saudi initiative appears designed to harness this diplomatic momentum, but its timing is fraught. The Israeli government, still grappling with the aftermath of a devastating war with Iran and ongoing skirmishes with Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south, views such conferences as dangerously out of step with the current security environment. Senior Israeli officials, as cited by Israel National News, argue that any effort to impose a political solution from the outside not only undermines Israeli sovereignty but risks rewarding terrorism by placing political gains in the wake of military aggression.

From Riyadh’s perspective, however, the stakes are both ideological and strategic. Saudi Arabia has long sought to reassert its position as a central broker in Arab diplomacy, especially as its tentative normalization talks with Israel have stalled since October 2023. Co-hosting the conference alongside France offers the Kingdom an opportunity to balance its regional leadership ambitions with its longstanding support for the Palestinian cause.

The political implications within Israel are highly significant. In the wake of months of conflict and a surge in global condemnation of its military actions, the Israeli government faces an international environment more skeptical than ever of its narrative. As Israel National News has reported, officials in Jerusalem remain resolute that no external forum can substitute for direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians — talks which remain impossible so long as the Palestinian Authority rewards terrorism and Hamas maintains control of Gaza.

As the July 28–29 conference approaches, all eyes will be on New York. Whether the event produces tangible results or remains yet another symbolic gesture in the long and painful history of Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy, it reflects an unmistakable trend: international impatience is growing, and the era of waiting for bilateral breakthroughs may be giving way to a new phase of external intervention.

For Israel, the road ahead remains deeply uncertain. But as the Israel National News report indicated, one thing is clear — the decisions made in global capitals today will profoundly shape the strategic landscape of the Middle East for years to come.