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More than 75 countries and international organisations gathered in Paris to discuss the ways for a long-lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. It was the last significant gathering before Obama exits White House.
The attendees at the international meet see the creation of the Palestinian state as the only acceptable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The meet manifests the growing frustration of international community over the stalemate of peacemaking.
The final statement issued after the meet holds Israel’s 1967 borders as the basis for any agreement, offered incentives to both sides and told them to avoid steps that work against that solution. Paris meet hailed the historic United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements.
The statement called upon both sides to officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution, thus disassociating themselves from voices that reject this solution.
While the Palestinians welcomed Sunday’s declaration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the conference ‘rigged’ and cooked up behind Israel’s back to force it to accept conditions against national interests.
The Paris meet delivered the forceful message to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President-elect Donald Trump. While he has not made his policy clear, Trump has emphasized his support for Israel.
The Republican has chosen an ambassador who raises money for West Bank settlement. The incoming president told Israelis to have patience as January 20 is not far away in the wake Obama’s decision not to veto the December 23 Security Council resolution on Israeli settlement.
Trump also said that he would move US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem—in a stark reversal of US long-standing and established policy—a plan Abbas has urged him to scrap for the sake of peace and stability in the Middle East.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Trump’s plan to move the US embassy in Israel would be a ‘provocation,’ and that many participants in the Paris meeting expressed alarm about the proposed move.
The conference was necessary to keep hopes alive for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians — the solution favoured by the international community for the past two decades. It demonstrates that the world is united in seeking peace.
While Netanyahu has voiced support for the two-state solution, many members of Netanyahu’s coalition want to abandon the two-state solution and expand settlements, and some have even called for annexing parts of the West Bank. The continued settlement construction on occupied territories raises questions on Netanyahu’s commitment to pursuing a peace deal.
Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been increasingly critical of Netanyahu, represented the US at the talks and defended the effort. He rejected Israeli criticism of the conference, saying the concept of a
two-state solution to the conflict is ‘threatened’ and must be reinforced if it is ever to happen.
The incoming Trump administration must not act as spoilsport as he condones settlement on Palestinian land. Trump is required to show some restraint and deploy pragmatism while dealing with Israel-Palestine conflict. Now the world cannot afford to resign itself to the status quo. The peace talks must be revived before violent extremists and Israeli settlements destroy any hope of a two-state solution. And this conference is a glimmer of hope for laying out terms for eventual negotiations, notably on how to share Jerusalem and the need to stop Israeli settlements.