SRINAGAR: French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged the immediate release of the 48 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza and called for an end to bombings, massacres and mass displacement in the embattled enclave, UN News reported.
Speaking at the resumption of an international conference on Palestine and the two-State solution, which he co-chaired with Saudi Arabia at the UN General Assembly Hall, Macron declared: “The time for peace has come because we’re just a few moments away from no longer being able to seize peace.”
The conference came a day after the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognised a Palestinian State. Macron announced that France would join them, a declaration that was met with lengthy applause from delegates.
“The recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people takes nothing away from the rights of the people of Israel, whom France has supported from Day One,” he said. “This recognition is the only solution that will allow Israel to live in peace.”
Macron stressed that Palestinian statehood must be acknowledged as a right, not as a concession. “Let’s be clear: statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward. Denying statehood would be a gift to extremists everywhere. Without two States, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and radicalism will spread around the world.”
UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock echoed his call, warning against the idea that the two-State solution was unattainable. She reminded delegates that the first UN resolution on the matter was nearly as old as the organisation itself. “Not aiming for what is right means that evil would prevail, and that would be the end of this institution,” she said.
Baerbock insisted the international community was not only committed to the principle of two States but also to “identifying tangible, timebound and irreversible steps for its realisation,” with international guarantees.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud welcomed the recognition of Palestine by several countries and urged others to follow suit. “We call on all other countries to take a similar historic step that will have a great impact on supporting the efforts towards the implementation of the two-State solution, achieve permanent and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and find a new reality whereby the region can enjoy peace, stability and prosperity,” he said.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his long-standing appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access. He condemned the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel but warned that the collective punishment of Palestinians was equally unjustifiable.
Guterres also called for an end to what he termed the “relentless” expansion of settlements, the “creeping threat of annexation,” and rising settler violence in the West Bank, saying these developments posed an existential threat to the two-State solution.
