Overview
- France and Saudi Arabia are co-chairing a three-day UN summit in New York this week to translate decades of UN consensus into a concrete plan for Palestinian state recognition and peace measures
- President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France will formally recognize Palestine in September has prompted other European governments to signal similar recognition pledges at the conference
- On July 29, Prime Minister Keir Starmer recalled his cabinet and warned Britain will withhold recognition unless Israel lifts Gaza’s humanitarian blockade, agrees to a lasting ceasefire and re-engages on a two-state track
- Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said Riyadh is seeking World Bank approval for a $300 million aid transfer to Gaza and the West Bank and reiterated support for a Palestinian state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital
- Israel and the United States are boycotting the meeting, where delegates will also press for Palestinian Authority reform, Hamas disarmament and broader Arab-Israel normalization