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UN secretary-general urges renewed push for two-state solution, condemns Gaza destruction and West Bank annexation
Summary
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told an international conference in France that the two-state solution remains the only viable path to lasting peace, condemned July terror attacks by Hamas and the "wholesale destruction of Gaza," and called on states to halt settlement expansion and any move to annex the occupied West Bank.
António Guterres, United Nations secretary-general, urged international leaders at a conference hosted by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to act decisively to revive the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, saying the plan "remains the only framework rooted in international law."
Guterres condemned the July terror attacks by Hamas and the taking of hostages, saying "nothing can justify the horrific July terror attacks by Hamas and the taking of hostages, both of which I have repeatedly condemned." He also warned that "the wholesale destruction of Gaza" and the resulting humanitarian crisis are intolerable and must stop.
The secretary-general told delegates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "has endured for generations, defying hopes, defying diplomacy, defying countless resolutions, and defying international law," and said that while the conflict can be resolved it will require "political will and courageous leadership, and it demands truth."
Guterres listed concrete elements he said must underpin a two-state outcome: two independent, contiguous, democratic and sovereign states living side by side in peace and security; recognized borders based on the pre-1967 lines; and Jerusalem serving as the capital of both states "in line with international law, UN resolutions, and other relevant agreements."
He criticized a recent declaration he identified as the "CRESSA declaration" that he said backed annexing the occupied West Bank, calling such moves "illegal" and saying they "must stop." Guterres also cited other factors he said are eroding prospects for peace, including the "relentless expansion of settlements," a "surge in settler violence against Palestinians," demolitions and forced displacement, and what he described as the starvation and killing of civilians in Gaza — a toll he summarized as "the killing of tens of thousands of civilians."
Guterres urged delegates not to let the conference be "another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric" but an opportunity to catalyze "irreversible progress towards ending the occupation and realizing our shared aspiration for a viable two-state solution." He closed by saying Israel, Palestine and other parties will have to make difficult decisions and that the international community must "encourage and support that effort."
The remarks were delivered at a conference organized by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the transcript does not record any formal decisions or votes at the session.
