Latest news with #TwoStateSolution
LBCI
2 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
France preparing to help its citizens in Israel, Iran leave, Barrot says
France is preparing to help its citizens in Israel and Iran to leave those countries amid a week of strikes exchanged between the two rivals, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday. Barrot told reporters that a convoy would be arranged by the end of the week to transport French nationals without their means of transportation to the Turkish or Armenian borders from Iran, allowing them to access airports in those countries. French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning from the Jordanian border for airports in Jordan, with a chartered flight from Amman scheduled by the end of the week to aid the passage of French citizens who are vulnerable or in emergency situations, Barrot said. Separately, Barrot reiterated that France was committed to holding a conference on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians after France postponed one scheduled for this week. Reuters
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
France preparing to help its citizens in Israel, Iran leave, Barrot says
PARIS: France is preparing to help its citizens in Israel and Iran to leave those countries amid a week of strikes exchanged between the two rivals, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday. Barrot told reporters that a convoy will be arranged by the end of the week to get French nationals without their own means of doing so to the Turkish or Armenian borders from Iran to access airports in those countries. French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning from the Jordanian border for airports in Jordan, with a flight chartered from Amman by the end of the week to aid the passage of French citizens who are vulnerable or in emergency situations, Barrot said. Separately, Barrot reiterated that France was committed to holding a conference on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, after France postponed one scheduled for this week.
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
France under pressure over new date for UN Palestinian recognition summit
French President Emmanuel Macron must move swiftly to set a new date for a UN conference on Palestinian statehood after the Iran-Israel war derailed plans to hold it on Tuesday, activists have told The National. Mr Macron had said he may recognise a Palestinian state during the conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia, raising some hope European countries would follow suit and increase diplomatic pressure on Israel to accept the proposal. The Iranian-Israeli conflict and track is itself part of the wider sort of issue emanating from the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict John Lyndon, Allmep executive director The French President has vowed to push on with diplomatic efforts to achieve a two-state solution despite the delay, which he justified by saying that neither Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas nor Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could fly to New York after Israel bombed Iran on Friday. The attack has triggered retaliatory attacks and the closure of the airspace of several countries in the region. Peace organisations who came to Paris for a conference on Friday on the two-state solution will be campaigning to ensure he delivers on his promise, said Brussels-based activist Dan Sobovitz, who took part in the meeting that was organised to contribute to this week's conference in New York. About 400 participants in Friday's conference were invited to the Elysee Palace to talk to the President, who reportedly told them he remained focused on supporting Palestinian statehood. "His main message was: you can count on me," Mr Sobovitz told The National. "He should commit to a date." The next UN General Assembly meeting is scheduled for September. In a closed-door meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, the organisers of Friday's conference, the Alliance for Middle East Peace (Allmep), a network of 170 civil society organisations, highlighted concerns that the Palestinian issue would be sidelined by the latest Iran-Israel escalation. At least 15 Palestinians were killed on Sunday by Israeli fire near an aid centre in Gaza, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the enclave since October 2023 to more than 55,200. "The number one priority has to be ending Gaza's war," said John Lyndon, Allmep's executive director. "The situation between Iran and Israel is deeply concerning. It's incredibly destabilising for the region, but the Iranian-Israeli conflict and track is itself part of the wider sort of issue emanating from the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict." France may reorganise the conference in the "coming weeks", Mr Barrot said, without giving a date. "The momentum is unstoppable," he told TV network Public Senat. Israel's ally For now, most French politicians, including Mr Macron, have rallied behind Israeli claims that the bombing was justified because of its right to defend itself in the face of Iran's nuclear programme. Some have called on President to remain focused on Palestine. The French government views Iran's nuclear programme as an existential threat for Europe and Israel, and Paris's relations with Tehran have become increasingly tense over Iran's three-year long detention of two French citizens in conditions "akin to torture". Last week, the UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation board of governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. "France must take Iran's threats against Israel seriously, while at the same time pushing for a solution to the Palestinian problem," Raphael Glucksmann, a leading socialist politician, said in an interview with national broadcaster TF1 on Monday. Some French analysts suggest Mr Macron had been struggling to gain momentum for the New York conference. Delaying it may give him more time to rally international support after a US campaign to discourage states from taking part. The President's initial hope of a "mutual recognition process" involving more Arab countries establishing ties with Israel, alongside other western countries, faced difficulties as Gaza ceasefire talks broke down. "It's catastrophic that once again, the decade-old Israeli-Palestinian question is pushed aside and taken hostage by war," said international affairs commentator Pierre Haski. "Postponing the conference is also a way of not exposing oneself to failure, though comments made both by Mr Macron and Mr Barrot show they're strongly committed to the idea of holding the conference considering the amount of energy and political capital they've invested in it," Mr Haski told The National. Shaddad Al Attili, head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's negotiation unit, welcomed the delay, saying the Iran-Israel war would have overshadowed any announcements. "In these conditions, it's best to wait," he said. No empty gestures Yet the latest war has left many peace activists – both Palestinian and Israeli – wondering what comes next, as concerns mount over regional instability. One Palestinian NGO worker, who asked to remain anonymous due to online threats to participants of Friday's conference, said the postponement was understandable given that Palestinian cities including Ramallah and Jericho had been closed by Israel because of the Iranian attacks. "It's a horrible time," they said, speaking from Ramallah after returning from Paris via Jordan. "The bombings are not just on Tel Aviv, they're also near us." About 224 people in Iran, including senior officials and nuclear scientists, have been killed in Israeli bombing since Friday, and 24 in Israel have died in Iranian missile attacks. In Israel, Mr Macron's two-state solution initiative has been rejected by the government and viewed by many as a hostile move. Many Israeli peace activists who took part in Friday's conference were left stranded in Paris by the closure of Israeli airspace, which remains in place. "Recognition is too important to be offered as an empty gesture. It needs to be done at a time when people can give priority to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," Israeli analyst Gil Murciano told The National. "It should be used as a tool to promote a two-state solution. Right now, people care about whether they'll be alive tomorrow."
New York Times
14-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Conference on Palestinian Statehood Postponed Amid Israel-Iran Fighting
A U.N. conference set for next week to explore the creation of a Palestinian state has been postponed because of the fighting between Israel and Iran, President Emmanuel Macron of France says. For Mr. Macron, the meeting's co-chairman alongside Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, the postponement delays a delicate decision on French recognition of a Palestinian state. In a move that infuriated Israel, the French president had indicated that he would formally do so at the conference. Speaking on Friday evening, Mr. Macron said the postponement would be brief with a new date to be set in the coming days. It was needed because leaders in the region, including Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, would be unable to travel because of the fighting. 'For logistical, physical, security and political reasons, they could not get to New York,' Mr. Macron said. But he added that the movement toward a two-state outcome symbolized by the conference was 'unstoppable.' That view is not shared by the United States or Israel, both of which had indicated that they would not attend the conference. The United States, in a cable a few days ago that was first reported by Reuters, urged countries to shun the talks, which it said would 'coerce Israel during a war, thereby supporting its enemies.' France, like a growing number of European states, including many that have previously supported Israel, has taken the view that the most right-wing government in Israel's history is leading the country down a destructive blind alley at devastating cost in Palestinian lives. This conviction has driven France to seek a political framework for the aftermath of the war in Gaza that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has persistently declined to outline. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Zawya
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Egypt: President El-Sisi Speaks with French President Macron
Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron. The Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said that the call reviewed the latest regional and international developments, as well as the military escalation in the region. The call also touched on the Palestinian issue and the two-state solution conference. The two presidents emphasized the urgent necessity to respect established international rules, principles, and international law. The two presidents reiterated the significance of continued joint coordination in addressing regional and international crises, particularly in light of the pressing need to avoid escalation and regulate the situation in the Middle East. They also affirmed their commitment to continuing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations across various fields, especially in economic, trade, and investment aspects, thereby consolidating the close ties between the two friendly peoples. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
