The US on Monday rejected as a "publicity stunt" a United Nations conferencethat brought dozens of ministers together to work toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. "This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Far from promoting peace, the conference will prolong the war, embolden Hamas, and reward its obstruction and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025. Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran. Addressing the conference, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud urged all countries to support the conference goal of a roadmap laying out the parameters to a Palestinian state while ensuring Israel's security.
"We must ensure that it does not become another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in opening remarks."It can and must serve as a decisive turning point - one that catalyzes irreversible progress towards ending the occupation and realizing our shared aspiration for a viable two-state solution."
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the conference: "We must work on the ways and means to go from the end of the war in Gaza to the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at a time when this war is jeopardizing the stability and security of the entire region." (Read More)
