Tuesday 23 / September / 2025
New York: A high-level international conference on the Palestinian issue concluded in New York with a call for the international community to translate diplomatic support into concrete measures implementing the two-state solution.
The conference produced the "New York Declaration," endorsed by 142 UN General Assembly member states, reaffirming global commitment to a two-state solution and establishing what organisers described as an "irreversible path" toward peace for Palestinians, Israelis, and all peoples of the region.
A presidential statement noted the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza amid Israel's escalating ground offensive, positioning the declaration as a principled alternative to continuing violence. The statement welcomed recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood by Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
Ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages remains the immediate priority, the statement emphasised, calling for a permanent ceasefire, hostage-prisoner exchanges, guaranteed humanitarian access, and complete Israeli military withdrawal from the territory.
The declaration committed supporters to backing a temporary international stabilisation mission—requested by the Palestinian Authority and authorized by the UN Security Council—while enhancing training and equipment for Palestinian security forces. It endorsed unifying the West Bank and Gaza under the Palestinian Authority through the principle of "one state, one government, one law, one security authority."
Conference participants urged support for an "Emergency Coalition for Palestine" to mobilise urgent budgetary support, demanding Israel transfer withheld Palestinian tax revenues and review the Paris Economic Protocol.
The statement demanded Israel explicitly commit to the two-state solution by halting settlement expansion, land confiscation, and annexation activities, warning that any annexation would cross an international "red line" with serious consequences.
A just and lasting peace ending Israeli occupation remains the only path to full regional integration, the statement concluded, consistent with UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. It welcomed efforts toward regional security arrangements and reviving Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese peace tracks.
The conference called on all nations to join this diplomatic momentum to achieve mutual recognition, comprehensive regional integration, and sustainable peace for all Middle Eastern peoples.
