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‘No alternative’ to two-state solution: France

UNITED NATIONS: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday that there was “no alternative” to a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians as he opened a conference on the stalled process at the United Nations.
“Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative,” he said.
The comments came as President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move.
Read more: France defends move to recognize Palestinian state, Gulf States welcome
However, the United States and Israel rejected the move, with President Donald Trump describing the decision as “meaningless”.
Read more: ‘Hamas wants to die, recognition of Palestine meaningless’
Macron announced his decision as a two-state solution conference is being held in New York on July 28-29, which is co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, is representing Pakistan at the much-awaited event. It is officially titled the “High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”.
CREEPING ANNEXATION, WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION
One the other hand, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the conference said that Israel’s creeping annexation of the West Bank is illegal and the wholesale destruction of the Gaza Strip is intolerable and both must stop.
“Let’s be clear: The creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank is illegal. It must stop. The wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable. It must stop,” he told the conference.
“Unilateral actions that would forever undermine the two-state solution are unacceptable. They must stop,” Guterres said.
The ongoing conflict is destabilizing the entire world and the region, the UN chief warned and thanked Saudi Arabia and France for their initiative.
STOP ISRAELI AGGRESSION
In his address, the Palestinian Authority’s representative at the UN, Riyad Mansour, said Israel was violating the international law in Gaza. The Israeli aggression must be stopped immediately, he stressed.
He talked about the ongoing genocide in which over 58,000 Palestinians have killed. Thousands of others are maimed with nearly entire population of 2.1 million made homeless.
Read more: Gazans reject Trump displacement plan despite death, destruction
Mansour said Israel would to respect the sovereignty of Palestine and urged the UN to play its role to execute the two-state solution.
As Israel is trying to ensure that the Palestinians in Gaza are starved to death, he also called for immediate provision of food to the people.
MANY STARVING IN GAZA
Separately, US President Donald Trump said on Monday many people were starving in Gaza and suggested Israel could do more on humanitarian access, as desperate Palestinians hoped for aid a day after the Israeli military announced steps to improve supplies.
As the death toll from two years of war in Gaza nears 60,000, a growing number of people are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities say, with images of starving children shocking the world and fuelling international criticism of Israel over sharply worsening conditions.
Describing starvation in Gaza as real, Trump’s assessment put him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Monday “there is no starvation in Gaza” and vowed to fight on against Hamas.
Trump, speaking during a visit to Scotland, said Israel has a lot of responsibility for aid flows, and that a lot of people could be saved. “You have a lot of starving people,” he said.
“We’re going to set up food centers,” with no fences or boundaries to ease access, Trump said. The US would work with other countries to provide more humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, including food and sanitation, he said.
It’s a developing story. Details to follow
