New york: The UN conference on a two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israel may pave the way for the recognition of Palestine by 10 more countries, the Palestinian envoy to the UN said on Monday. The UN High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution is set to open in New York on Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the conference is hosted by France and Saudi Arabia and was initially postponed in June following Israel's attacks on Iran's top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the UN, expressed optimism that the conference might lead to recognition from around 10 other countries, in addition to France, of the two-state solution based on the 1947 Partition Plan.
The UN Partition Plan for Palestine, adopted as Resolution 181 by the UN General Assembly on November 29, 1947, proposes the division of British Mandate Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under international administration. Mansour noted that French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed his intention to recognize a Palestinian state during the upcoming 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September, describing it as a 'door-opener' that may inspire other countries to follow suit.
The envoy mentioned the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, and San Marino as potential countries that could recognize the Palestinian state. He welcomed the French initiative as a significant step toward "full UN membership for the State of Palestine" and called for the removal of the US veto against their UN membership, citing the US's previous blockade of their bid in May 2024.
Mansour dismissed Israeli claims that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward the Palestinian group Hamas, arguing that such views disregard the global consensus. He emphasized that most countries now believe it is time to resolve the issue in a legal manner, based on international legitimacy resolutions and the vision of the international community in 1947.