On Thursday, over 100 participants, including 90 States and representatives from International Organizations, gathered in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly for the Ministerial Meeting on “The Situation in Gaza and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution as a Path to a Just and Comprehensive Peace”.

The event was co-hosted by EU High Representative Josep Borrell, together with the Ministerial Arab League/Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Contact Group on Gaza* and Norway, and presided over by Prince Faisal, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia.

The meeting was attended by over 60 ministers and concluded with the announcement of the formation of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. Its aim will be to work towards the implementation of the Two-State Solution, also by supporting the current diplomatic efforts to reach a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, address the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, and advance an irreversible path of joint efforts and concrete measures in support of enabling and implementing the Two-State Solution with a clear timeline.

This Global Alliance constitutes, in the view of the EU, an umbrella under which all partners can bring their contributions to incentivise, to help, to encourage, to push, to envisage, to elaborate, and to act towards the implementation of the Two-State Solution. 

Practical follow-up meetings will be held in Riyadh and Brussels in the following months, and further follow-up meetings hosted in Cairo, Amman, Ankara, Oslo etc. focusing on concrete action points identified by the participants.

These meetings will aim to advance United Nations Security Council resolutions and related peace efforts, all within the framework of the Two-State Solution. Beyond potential nuances in their approach towards the implementation of the Two-State Solution, all involved countries can make a decisive contribution to achieving it.

The meeting on Thursday showed that the international community remains firm in its commitment to support the Parties and accompany them in fulfilling their commitments. This implies ensuring compliance with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and holding Parties accountable for any actions that undermine the Two-State solution, including policies of dispossession implemented in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. A core element of these efforts is the establishment of a Palestinian State, living side by side in peace and security with Israel.

The participants also emphasized the urgent need for collective action. They called for decisive steps leading to an immediate ceasefire and progress towards the implementation of the Two-State Solution as the only viable path to a just and enduring peace. This meeting was an opportunity and a first step to join forces towards a better future for the people of Israel, Palestine and the region.

As highlighted by the High Representative at the meeting, it is for the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate the terms of the peace agreement but “we all have a responsibility to those thousands and thousands of innocent children who were killed because some said that it was not the right time to start thinking of this solution.”

* the group is composed of the Kingdom of Bahrein, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Indonesia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the State of Palestine, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Turkey, League of Arab States and Organization of Islamic Cooperation)