Paris, France — International envoys will discuss a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at UN headquarters in New York this month, before national leaders meet in September, a French diplomatic source said Wednesday.
The conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, was originally planned for mid-June to revive work on the long-standing diplomatic effort to find a way for Israeli and Palestinian states to live side-by-side in peace.
It was postponed at the last minute after Israel’s military campaign against Iran.
Last week, diplomatic sources said last week the conference had been rescheduled for July 28 and 29, but did not say who would attend.
The French source said Wednesday that the meeting would be at ministerial level.
It would seek to “advance the recognition of a Palestinian state for a certain number of states who have not yet recognized it, including France,” the source said.
But it would also work “on normalization and Israel’s regional integration with Arab and Muslim countries.”
Heads of state and government would then meet in either Paris or New York, before the UN General Assembly, which will be attended by world leaders on September 22, the source added.
France’s foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot would attend the meeting.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron called for joint recognition by France and Britain of a Palestinian state.
Before the initial conference was postponed, Barrot said France would not recognize a Palestinian state alone, in a possible reference to the eagerness of Paris to see any French recognition matched by Gulf Arab allies — notably regional kingpin Saudi Arabia — recognizing Israel.
US President Donald Trump near the end of his first term led promoted the “Abraham Accords” in which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco became the first Arab countries in decades to normalize with Israel.
