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France, Saudi Arabia to Host UN Summit on Palestine as Global Recognition Gains Momentum
France & Saudi Arabia will co-host a UN summit on Palestine ahead of #UNGA, as global momentum builds for recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel & US to boycott the meeting.
MH
by Muhammad Hashir
2025-09-22
France, Saudi Arabia to Host UN Summit on Palestine as Global Recognition Gains Momentum

France and Saudi Arabia are set to co-host a one-day international summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday, a day before the opening of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The summit will focus on the Israel-Gaza war and the long-delayed two-state solution for Palestine.

World leaders are expected to attend in an effort to revive prospects for a Palestinian state amid warnings that Israel’s expanding occupation in Gaza and the West Bank could make such a solution “vanish altogether.”

France is widely expected to officially recognize the State of Palestine during the summit, following similar historic announcements over the weekend by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal. Belgium and other European nations are also weighing recognition.

Israel and its closest allies, including the United States, are boycotting the summit, with Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon dismissing it as a “circus.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under domestic political pressure, is reportedly considering the annexation of parts of the West Bank, though observers say he will seek U.S. backing during his visit to New York.

The summit builds on the “New York Declaration”, adopted earlier this month after a July conference also co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. That declaration called for timebound and irreversible steps toward a two-state solution, the disarmament of Hamas, the release of captives, and an immediate ceasefire with humanitarian access to Gaza.

French President Emmanuel Macron will play a central role in the proceedings, while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to address the event via videolink.

Meanwhile, Israel has hinted at punitive steps against France, including potentially expelling diplomats or curtailing intelligence cooperation, after Macron’s push for Palestinian statehood recognition. Netanyahu has also accused Macron of fueling “anti-Semitic fire” in France.

On the ground in Gaza, Israel has intensified its military offensive, with tanks advancing into Gaza City and heavy air and naval bombardments. On Sunday, at least 25 members of a single Palestinian family were killed in strikes on homes in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood. Israel’s military maintains that all operations are targeting “terrorist infrastructure.”

Qatar, which continues mediating between Hamas and Israel, welcomed the wave of recognitions for Palestinian statehood and called for urgent steps to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

The UN has expressed hope that Monday’s summit could provide fresh momentum toward a formal roadmap for a two-state solution, despite Israel and the U.S. boycotting the process.
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Israel

Palestine

Gaza

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