France and 14 other countries have launched a joint appeal urging governments around the world to express their support for recognising a Palestinian state. The announcement comes on the back of a United Nations conference in New York aimed at reviving the two-state solution.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the goal is to build global momentum for Palestinian statehood ahead of the UN General Assembly in September.
“In New York with 14 other countries, France launches a collective appeal: we express our willingness to recognise the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us,” Barrot wrote on X.
The joint declaration is signed by the foreign ministers of France, Canada, Australia, Spain, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Portugal, Slovenia, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra and San Marino.
Canada and Australia are the only G20 members among the signatories.
Two-day conference
The statement followed a two-day international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia at the UN headquarters.
The talks ended with a seven-page declaration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and a roadmap to establish a Palestinian state.
The United States and Israel boycotted the event. But 125 countries took part, and organisers say the aim now is to secure formal backing for the plan before the current UN General Assembly session ends in September.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud urged countries to endorse the document in the coming weeks.
He said the plan outlines “tangible, timebound and irreversible steps” toward peace, beginning with an end to the war in Gaza.
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Roadmap for peace
The declaration calls for a political solution based on two states, the economic viability of a future Palestinian state, and the reconstruction of Gaza. It also proposes the deployment of a temporary international stabilisation force in the territory.
France and 14 other countries signed an attached document known as the “New York Appeal”. It is intended to build momentum ahead of the General Assembly in September. Canada and Portugal also signed the appeal, although they have not yet recognised a Palestinian state.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Israel’s position was making peace impossible.
“The Netanyahu government's rejection of a two-state solution is wrong! A moral wrong and a strategic mistake. It harms the interests of the Israeli people and closes the only path to lasting peace,” said Lammy.
He added that the UK was ready to recognise a Palestinian state as early as September if Israel does not end its military campaign in Gaza.
France welcomed the statement, saying it hoped to build diplomatic momentum around formal recognition of Palestinian statehood.
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Arab states condemn Hamas
The final declaration also includes rare language from Arab countries. Seventeen Arab states – including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt – condemned the 7 October Hamas attacks and called for the group to disarm and be excluded from any political role.
They also called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and full humanitarian access to Gaza. Their governments said they were open to normalising relations with Israel, but only if this went hand in hand with the creation of a Palestinian state.
The declaration also stresses the importance of integrating Israel into the Middle East region and supporting long-term political stability through demilitarisation and economic support.
While no immediate measures were adopted, speakers said it was urgent to act.
The final declaration argues that it is now “crucial to defend a political solution that includes an Israeli state and a Palestinian state living side by side”, the document said.
