US calls Saudi and French-led conference on two-state solution a 'publicity stunt'
The United States on Monday lashed out at a United Nations conference promoting a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict that was hosted by its close allies France and Saudi Arabia.
The US State Department labelled the three-day event "unproductive and ill-timed", as well as a "publicity stunt" that would make finding peace harder.
The diplomatic push is a "reward for terrorism", the statement said.
The US deployed even harsher words against French President Emmanuel Macron, calling his decision to recognise a Palestinian state last week “counterproductive”, saying its Nato ally’s decision “undercuts our diplomatic efforts”.
France is hoping that the UK will follow its lead.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
More than 200 British members of parliament voiced support for the idea on Friday, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resisted. Middle East Eye has revealed that the US pressured both the UK and France against recognising Palestine earlier this year.
The conference kicked off on Monday in New York City, with participants reaffirming that there is "no alternative" to the conflict besides a two-state solution. France and Saudi Arabia’s leadership of the event underscores how the US’s unchecked support for Israel’s war on Gaza is putting its diplomacy at odds with key partners.
"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," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said at the start of the three-day meeting.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said at the meeting that "the two-state solution is farther than ever before", decrying Israel's "creeping annexation" of the occupied West Bank and "the wholesale destruction of Gaza".
The meeting comes as Gaza descends into famine as a result of Israel’s siege of the enclave. Hundreds of starving Palestinians have been killed trying to obtain food from the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that is backed by the US and Israel.
Deaths from famine and malnutrition have soared in recent days.
US President Donald Trump was asked about the famine on Monday and did not dispute it. He said Israel had a responsibility to for aid.
“That’s real starvation stuff,” Trump said. “I see it, you can’t fake that.”
“Those children look very hungry,” he said. “We have to get the kids fed.”
Trump later said that the US was going to set up "food centres" without barriers, in an apparent reference to those currently managed by GHF where Palestinians have had to pass through cage-like structures to obtain food.
“We’re giving money and we’re giving food, but we’re over here … I want him [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to make sure they get the food. I want to make sure they get the food, every ounce of food," Trump said.
But he continued to fault Hamas for the crisis, claiming the group is stealing aid despite a US government assessment contradicting that accusation.
More than two dozen of the US’s allies - including countries traditionally close to Israel - have accused it of “drip feeding” aid into Gaza.
The Trump administration has clashed with Israel on several issues - including striking an independent ceasefire with the Houthis in Yemen and condemning Israeli strikes on Syria - but has given it full backing for Israel to wage war on Gaza.
Last week, Trump announced that the US was pulling out of ceasefire talks. He blamed Hamas for the impasse, a move analysts say was in keeping with more than two years of US messaging to provide cover to Israel for acts of genocide in Gaza, according to two major Israeli human rights groups and scores of western organisations.
"It's widely understood that there are no real strategic objectives to fulfill militarily unless the ultimate goal is displacement," Michael Hanna, a Middle East expert at the International Crisis Group, told MEE previously. "In the meantime, it appears the US is willing to stand by as famine deepens throughout Gaza."
Even as the US criticised the UN summit, its top participants tried to entice Trump back to talks. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said Trump could be a "catalyst" to ending the war in Gaza and jump-starting the two-state solution.
Trump has regularly said he wants to strike a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia and Israel, building on the 2020 Abraham Accords, which he considers a signature foreign policy achievement.
Riyadh says to achieve that goal, Israel would need to take irreversible steps towards the creation of a Palestinian state, with a ceasefire in Gaza the first precondition.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said publicly that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Beyond facilitating conditions for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the three days of meeting will focus on three other issues, including the reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and normalisation of relations with Israel by Arab states as part of a two-state solution.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
