France EU Israel Palestine Two-State Solution
EU Urges Israel to End Blockade, Pave Way for Palestinian Statehood Amidst Gaza Crisis
New York, NY – July 29, 2025 – The European Commission, representing the European Union, has called on the Israeli government to lift a significant financial blockade and cease settlement expansion in the West Bank, urging these actions as crucial incentives for Israel to engage with the international community’s push for a two-state solution. The appeal was made by a senior EU official at a high-level United Nations meeting focused on resolving the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, convened in New York as international criticism of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war intensifies. The meeting, attended by representatives from 125 countries, including 50 ministers, aims to counter what EU officials described as the “erasure of the two-state solution,” a framework long considered the only viable path to peace and security in the region. Notably, both Israel and its key ally, the United States, declined to participate in the proceedings.The EU official specifically urged Israel to release 2 billion euros owed to the Palestinian Authority, halt settlement construction that jeopardizes the territorial integrity of a future Palestinian state, and dismantle the “militarized” food delivery system in Gaza, which has been linked to numerous fatalities.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced ahead of the conference that France would recognize Palestine as a state during the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. This significant, albeit largely symbolic, move is intended to exert diplomatic pressure on Israel.France now stands as the largest Western nation and the sole G7 member to recognize a Palestinian state, perhaps influencing other countries to follow suit. Over 140 nations, including more than a dozen in Europe, already recognize Palestine.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed mustafa, speaking at the conference’s opening, implored all nations that have not yet recognized Palestine to do so “without delay,” emphasizing that “the path to peace begins by recognizing the state of Palestine and preserving it from destruction.”
The conference also addressed the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated that such normalization “can only come through the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Amidst growing global concern over starvation in Gaza, U.S. President Donald Trump has called for increased aid to Palestinians, a stance that appears to diverge from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertions that no starvation is occurring. Both EU and Saudi officials acknowledged the U.S.’s pivotal role in the region,citing President Trump’s efforts in securing the sole ceasefire in the 21-month conflict.
“I am firmly in the belief that Trump’s engagement can be a catalyst for an end to the immediate crisis in Gaza and potentially a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the long term,” stated Prince Faisal bin Farhan.