NEW YORK, September 23, 2025 (WAFA) – The High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and Implementing the Two-State Solution kicked off on Monday evening at the United Nations headquarters in New York. 

The meeting was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, with the participation of President Mahmoud Abbas via video conference, alongside several heads of state, government leaders, and representatives of international and regional organizations.

Saudi Arabia, in partnership with France, had led the preparatory meetings for this high-level conference during April and May 2025. Specialized working groups were formed to prepare for the sessions and identify practical outcomes.

Here's the full text of the joint Statement of the Co-Chairs of the Conference:

1. We, Leaders of the Republic of France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Co-Chairs of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, commend States who gathered at the United Nations in New York on the 22nd of September 2025 at a historically critical moment for peace, security, and stability in the Middle East.

2. The High-Level International Conference led to the adoption of the New York Declaration endorsed by the General Assembly with an outstanding majority of 142 votes. This ambitious declaration reaffirms the unwavering international commitment to the Two-State solution and charts an irreversible pathway to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and all peoples of the region.

3. As we are gathered, the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate with the intensification of the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza city, and with civilians and hostages paying an unjustifiable price due to the ongoing war. The New York Declaration aims at providing a principled, yet realistic alternative to the cycle of violence and endless wars.

4. It is now time for the international community to move from words to deeds. We commend the important work done by the seventeen co-chairs of the working groups of the conference to draw a path for a swift implementation of the Two-State solution. We call on all States to swiftly implement the New York declaration through tangible, concrete and irreversible measures. We welcome the important commitments and measures already taken by UN Member States.

5. We welcome the recognition of the State of Palestine by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Denmark, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, alongside France, confirmed today at the United Nations’ General Assembly. We invite States which have not done so to join this movement.

6. Ending the war in Gaza and ensuring the release of all hostages remains our absolute priority. We call for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, exchange of prisoners, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

7. In order to secure the Day After for Palestinians and Israelis, we commit to supporting the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission upon invitation by the Palestinian Authority, to be mandated by the UN Security Council, in line with the New York Declaration. Meanwhile, we commit to scaling up our support to train and equip Palestinian police and security forces, building on existing programs, including USSC, EUPOLCOPPS and EUBAM Rafah.

8.  We stress the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority. We welcome the “One State, One Government, One Law, One Gun” policy of the Palestinian Authority and pledge our continued support to its implementation. In the context of ending the war in Gaza, we reiterate that Hamas must end its rule in Gaza, disarm and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign Palestinian State.

9. This Conference, and the recognition of Palestine, aims at the realization of a sovereign, democratic and economically viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Israel. In that regard, we commend the historic commitments made by President Mahmoud Abbas including to the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, the continued rejection of violence and terrorism, and his statement that the Palestinian State has no intention to be a militarized State and is ready to work on security arrangements beneficial to all parties, in full respect of its sovereignty.

10. We welcome the reforms already underway by the Palestinian Authority, including:
- The abrogation of the prisoners’ payment system, that is now effective;
- The schooling/curricula reform, under EU supervision and with Saudi support;
- The commitment to hold democratic and transparent general and presidential elections within a year after a ceasefire, enabling democratic competition between Palestinian actors committed to respect the PLO platform and principles.
We support President Abbas in advancing further measures to reform the governance of the Palestinian Authority. 

11. We welcome the launching of the Emergency Coalition for Palestine to mobilize emergency budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority. We invite all States and international organizations to join this effort. We reiterate our call for the immediate release by Israel of withheld Palestinian tax revenues and commit to the revision of the Paris Protocol on Economic Relations and the establishment of a new framework for clearance revenue transfers.

12. We urge the Israeli leadership to seize this opportunity for peace, and to issue a clear public commitment to the Two-State solution, immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, halt all settlement, land grabs, and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and put an end to settlers’ violence. As a first step, we urge Israel to rescind the E1 project, and publicly renounce any annexation project. We reiterate that any form of annexation is a redline for the international community that bears serious consequences and constitutes a direct risk to existing and future peace agreements.

13. In that regard, we welcome concrete measures taken by Member States to respond to unilateral measures against the Two-State solution and to violations of international law until Israel puts an end to actions that are endangering the Two-State solution, in full compliance with international law.

14. We reaffirm that ending the Israeli occupation and achieving just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, based on the relevant UN resolutions, is the only way to achieve full regional integration, as provided for in the Arab Peace initiative. In that regard, we welcome the commitment to explore a regional security architecture that could provide security guarantees for all, building on the experience of ASEAN and OSCE, paving the way for a more stable Middle East. We reiterate our support to renewed effort on the Syria-Israel and Lebanon-Israel tracks with the aim of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, in accordance with international law and the relevant UN resolutions.

15. We reiterate our call to all States to join this dynamic to ensure peace and security for all in the Middle East, mutual recognition and full regional integration.

K.T