By Rania Abu Shamala
ISTANBUL (AA) - Arab Leaders and senior officials voiced support Monday for a two-state solution, demanding an end to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and urging countries that have not yet recognized Palestine to do so.
It came during a High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine in New York.
Speaking on behalf of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly praised Saudi Arabia and France for organizing “an important conference that embodies our collective commitment to the two-state solution as the only path to achieving just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.”
He stressed: “There will be no stability in the Middle East without a just and comprehensive solution that fulfills the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the June 4, 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Al-Sisi said on the US social media company, X: “The recognition of the independent State of Palestine and its realization on the ground is not a dream, but rather a steadfast determination to uphold a right for which the Palestinian people have long struggled, supported by all peoples of the world who aspire to peace.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah II told the conference that “the war in Gaza must end, humanitarian aid must flow unhindered, and all illegal and unilateral measures in the West Bank must also end.”
He stressed that the two-state solution is “the only path to the just and lasting peace that fulfills the rights of all our peoples.”
Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan Al-Muraikhi called the conference “historic in the path of resolving the Palestinian cause.”
He said the world must recognize the dual context: decades of injustice against Palestinians and a current deterioration marked by Gaza’s destruction and Israeli violence in the West Bank.
He condemned the “irresponsible Israeli escalation” that also targeted Qatar on Sept. 9, holding Israel responsible for what he described as a violation of international law.
United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar welcomed the wave of international recognition of Palestine, urging more states to act.
“Given the grave developments in Gaza and repeated Israeli threats of annexing the West Bank, efforts must continue to achieve a ceasefire and support the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, and the US,” he said, renewing calls for the UN Security Council to step in.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf declared: “The time has come for concrete action to realize the state of Palestine and to confront diplomatically, legally and economically Israel’s plans to displace Palestinians from their historic land.”
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also urged protection for Palestinians against “systematic Israeli killings” and safeguarding the Palestinian project from “vindictive punitive measures that threaten its future prospects.”
The New York conference comes ahead of this week’s UN General Assembly and marks a broad international effort to mobilize support for the two-state solution amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and escalating tensions across the region.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced an official decision to recognize Palestine. Countries like Andorra, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, Monaco and Portugal, have also officially announced their decisions to recognize Palestine.