The EU, Norway and Saudi Arabia have brought together close to 100 countries and organisations in New York to press for implementation of a two-state solution.
The meeting, held on the margins of the 81st UN General Assembly, took place a year after 142 countries endorsed the New York Declaration for the Implementation of the two-State solution, according to a statement from the European External Action Service (EEAS) released on Thursday.
The Palestinian Prime Minister and the Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza attended.
In opening remarks, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said US engagement after the declaration led to a “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict”, which was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
She also noted that the Palestinian Authority had been working on reform and preparing for legislative elections, which the EU “fully supports.”
Kallas said progress in Gaza “remains far too limited”, with strikes continuing and humanitarian needs still acute.
She also cited “unlimited violence” in the West Bank and settlement expansion undermining the viability of a two-state solution.
Calls on Gaza ceasefire, settlements and Palestinian elections
In a joint statement, the co-chairs of the forum said they were “gravely concerned” that developments on the ground were undermining the foundations of a two-state solution. Settlement expansion — including E1 — demolitions, threats of forcible displacement and annexation, and “unprecedented settler violence” were eroding the territorial integrity and contiguity of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The co-chairs called for measures they said were undermining the two-state solution to be halted, and for accountability for settler violence.
They also called for the “historic and legal status quo” at holy sites in Jerusalem to be upheld.
On Gaza, the co-chairs called for the ceasefire to be consolidated and for “disarmament of Hamas and all armed groups” and “full Israeli withdrawal” through what they described as credible, verified implementation.
They also called for humanitarian assistance to be delivered “rapidly, safely and unhindered” across Gaza, notably through the UN and its agencies, including UNRWA — the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the statement said.
The co-chairs said Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, form a single Palestinian territory and that “there can be no separate political future for Gaza”, with any transitional arrangements leading to reunification under a single Palestinian government.
They also said the Palestinian Authority faced fiscal and institutional pressure, calling for its financial viability to be protected, including through the release of “withheld clearance revenues”, and urging donors to provide direct assistance.
The statement backed Palestinian-led reform and called on all actors to facilitate upcoming national elections.
