By: Taghreed Saadeh
Well-informed Palestinian sources expressed to “Zaytoun News” their concern that the upcoming New York conference, which is being prepared to discuss the two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, scheduled to take place from June 17 to 20 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, may serve as a new gateway for Arab normalization with Israel.
The sources noted that hints by two United Nations Security Council members—France and the United Kingdom—about recognizing the State of Palestine in exchange for Arab recognition of Israel could open the door to such normalization.
The same sources clarified that while the recognition of the State of Palestine is indeed significant, the conference itself may pave the way toward normalization with the Israeli state.
The conference is being organized by the United Nations General Assembly and will be jointly sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia.
Approximately 150 countries currently recognize the State of Palestine, which holds the status of an observer member at the United Nations. This means its membership is not full, as the Security Council has not voted to grant it that status.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated last April that France might recognize the State of Palestine in June. At that time, he expressed his desire to organize a conference in New York to advocate for the recognition of Palestine and to encourage Arab and Islamic countries to recognize Israel.
Also last month, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that recognition of the State of Palestine is on the table, stressing that the United Kingdom would not wait for permission from anyone to recognize Palestine.
He added that this recognition should be part of a genuine political path toward a two-state solution, and not merely a symbolic step.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking recently from Moscow, praised the efforts made by what he described as Arab brothers and international stakeholders in the global coalition to hold the international peace conference in New York next June. He said the goal is to gather recognition for the State of Palestine and secure full membership in the United Nations as a step toward a political path to end the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also affirmed the importance of the international conference supporting the two-state solution during the Arab Summit in Baghdad. He stated that this conference “represents an opportunity that should not be missed to encourage the two-state solution and create unity and a vision to achieve it,” expressing the United Nations’ support for the conference.
Saudi Arabia, which is co-sponsoring the conference, has repeatedly reaffirmed its position against normalizing relations with Israel before the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
The government of Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposes recognition of a Palestinian state and has called for the annexation of the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
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