Ministers at U.N. conference press for immediate ceasefire, renewed push to implement two‑state solution

Leaders, ministers and working‑group cochairs at the High Level International Conference on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and called for concrete international steps to revive and implement a two‑state solution.

The principal goal of the wrap‑up session, co‑chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France, was to consolidate recommendations from eight thematic working groups and translate them into follow‑up actions, speakers said.

"We are here today with our eyes wide open…The two‑state solution is farther than ever before," Antonio Guterres, secretary‑general of the United Nations, said, calling the conference "a rare and indispensable opportunity" and warning that "the wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable. It must stop." Guterres referenced UN resolutions and international law as the framework for a negotiated two‑state outcome.

French and Saudi co‑chairs framed the meeting as a vehicle for turning working‑group proposals into a "joint road plan" that preserves the possibility of a sovereign, contiguous Palestinian state on the pre‑1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, minister of foreign affairs of Saudi Arabia, said the conference should produce a chronologically clear set of steps to end the occupation and implement Palestinian statehood.

Several speakers welcomed President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France intends to recognize the State of Palestine in September. "I salute the historic and courageous decision of France and President Macron to recognize the State of Palestine," Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa of the State of Palestine said, urging other states to follow.

Former Irish president Mary Robinson and other civil‑society figures urged measures to uphold international law and end impunity. Robinson called for halting arms transfers and expanding targeted sanctions tied to violations cited in the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion. "There must be an immediate halt to arms transfers and any military, security, or other form of cooperation which assists in maintaining Israel's unlawful presence and actions in the occupied Palestinian territory," she said.

Working group co‑chairs repeatedly referenced the ICJ advisory opinion (dated 19 July 2024 in statements at the conference) and urged member states to activate accountability, trade, and diplomatic tools. Brazil and Senegal, co‑chairs of working group 7 on international law, presented proposals grouped into diplomatic, arms, trade/economic, accountability/reparation, and monitoring measures; they recommended recognition of the State of Palestine and measures ranging from targeted sanctions to strengthening export controls.

Several delegations argued recognition and UN membership for Palestine should not be conditional on fresh negotiations. "Recognition should not be linked to negotiations between the conflict parties," Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, chair of the Elders and former president of Colombia, said. Santos and others argued that recognition would be a catalytic political act to level the diplomatic field.

Speakers also stressed that legal and political measures must be paired with security arrangements and regional engagement. Italy and Indonesia, co‑chairs of the working group on security, said any UN stabilization or protection mission would require an invitation from the Palestinian Authority and a Security Council resolution. "The consent of both parties, the invitation of the Palestinian Authority, and a Security Council resolution are essential conditions for any stabilization mission in Gaza and for any monitoring effort in the West Bank," Maria Tripoli, vice minister for foreign affairs of Italy, said.

The wrap‑up session closed with a call from co‑chairs to maintain momentum and an announcement that the conference will continue at a plenary session later in the day and with further gatherings on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September.

Ending note: Delegations left the session with an agreed emphasis on political follow‑through: recognition and diplomatic measures, accountability steps tied to international law, and coordination of security and reconstruction planning as complementary elements to preserve a viable two‑state outcome.