UN Secretary-General Urges Two-State Solution Amid Israeli Opposition

UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that Palestinian statehood is a fundamental right, urging the international community to take urgent and concrete steps toward a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as the shared capital. He warned that without decisive action, the region risks devolving into a one-state reality marked by occupation and inequality, criticizing ongoing diplomacy as ineffective while violence and annexation continue. In contrast, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rejected international pressure to end the Gaza war or to accept a Palestinian state, portraying such recognition as establishing a Hamas-led jihadist state and accusing European governments of appeasing Muslim populations at Israel’s expense. In the UK, political pressure mounts on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, especially following France’s recent recognition, though internal cabinet divisions persist over the timing and implications of such a move. Meanwhile, journalist Vitaly Portnykov argued that recent conflicts have diminished the chances for a real, functioning Palestinian state, suggesting that the world may eventually accept the need for an alternative solution akin to the Cyprus situation. These diverse perspectives underscore the complexity and deep divisions surrounding Palestinian statehood and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.