France and Saudi Arabia are set to host an international summit in New York next month aimed at advancing a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While several countries are weighing recognition of a Palestinian state, Israeli officials believe French President Emmanuel Macron is unlikely to take that step following the conference.
“There’s no intention to impose anything,” French diplomatic sources told Ynet. “The summit goes far beyond recognition. The goal is to launch an irreversible dynamic toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” All UN member states have been invited but the final list of participants remains unclear.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
(Photo: AFP)
The initiative follows UN General Assembly resolution 79/81, passed on December 3, 2024, urging recognition of a Palestinian state. The summit aims to generate concrete steps in four areas:
1. Recognition of Palestine’s statehood as an expression of legitimate Palestinian aspirations.
2. Mutual recognition and normalization with Israel by states that haven't done so, modeled on Indonesia’s offer to recognize Israel if it recognizes Palestine.
3. Security guarantees for both sides, including a plan to fully disarm Hamas and establish postwar security mechanisms.
4. Reforming the Palestinian Authority to strengthen its legitimacy and governance—excluding any role for Hamas—even in Gaza.
France’s embassy in Israel stressed the summit’s timing amid the Gaza war, the humanitarian crisis and Jewish settler violence in the West Bank. “The two-state solution is more threatened than ever,” it said.
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Israel has warned that if France recognizes a Palestinian state, it could respond by extending sovereignty over parts of the West Bank and even shutter France’s consulate in Jerusalem. “France doesn’t set its foreign policy based on threats,” a French source responded.
Asked whether France coordinated the summit with the U.S.—amid Israeli concerns that Washington may be using it as leverage—a French official said, “We’re involving the U.S. and view this as complementing American efforts to end the war and secure a ceasefire and hostage deal.”
Despite these remarks, the U.S. voiced opposition to the summit. Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Kelley told the Security Council: “The U.S. firmly rejects any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state or attempts to impose terms on Israel—this would be an unthinkable reward for Hamas’s barbaric attack that killed and kidnapped Israelis and Americans.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned that the violence since October 7 has placed the decades-long diplomatic framework at risk. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana responded, saying, “There’s been no 30-year Israeli consensus on a Palestinian state—quite the opposite.
“The Knesset has overwhelmingly voted against unilateral recognition and even the state’s establishment. We’re in a clash of civilizations and right now, you’re on the wrong side of history.”