The International Conference Launches the New York Declaration and Sets a Roadmap for the Two-State Solution

SadaNews - Saudi Arabia and France, as the co-chairs of the high-level international conference for the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution, issued a joint statement at the conclusion of the conference held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York yesterday, September 22, 2025. This moment was described as a decisive historical moment for peace and security in the Middle East.

The joint statement from the co-chairs of the high-level international conference for the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution stated:

1- We, the leaders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic, acting as co-chairs of the high-level international conference for the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution, appreciate the countries that gathered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 22, 2025, at a critical historical moment for peace, security, and stability in the Middle East.

2- The high-level international conference resulted in the adoption of the New York Declaration, which received extraordinary support from the United Nations General Assembly with a majority of 142 votes. This declaration reaffirms the ambitious and steadfast international commitment to the two-state solution and outlines an irreversible path to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis, and all the peoples of the region.

3- As we meet, the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza is worsening with the escalation of the Israeli ground assault on Gaza City, while civilians and detainees are paying an unjustifiable price for this ongoing war. The New York Declaration offers a principled and realistic alternative to the cycle of violence and recurring wars.

4- It is time for the international community to move from words to actions. We value the important efforts made by the seventeen presidents of the working groups emanating from the conference to outline a rapid implementation path for the two-state solution. We call on all countries to expedite the implementation of the New York Declaration through practical, concrete, and irreversible steps, and we welcome the commitments and actions initiated by UN member states.

5- We welcome the recognition of the State of Palestine by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, in addition to France, as officially announced today at the United Nations General Assembly. We call on countries that have not yet taken this step to join this path.

6- Ending the war in Gaza and ensuring the release of all hostages remain our top priorities. We call for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a prisoner exchange, and guaranteed unhindered access for humanitarian aid throughout Gaza, along with a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.

7- To ensure the next day for Palestinians and Israelis, we are committed to supporting the deployment of a temporary international mission for stabilization, based on a request from the Palestinian Authority and a mandate from the Security Council, in accordance with the New York Declaration. We also commit to enhancing our support for training and equipping Palestinian police and security forces, utilizing existing programs such as the US Security Coordinator mission (USSC), the European Police Mission (EUPOL COPPS), and the EU Mission at the Rafah Crossing (EUBAM Rafah).

8- We emphasize the importance of unifying Gaza and the West Bank under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority. We welcome the "one state, one government, one law, and one weapon" policy announced by the Palestinian Authority, and we commit to continue supporting its implementation. In the context of ending the war in Gaza, we reaffirm that the rule of Hamas in the territory must end, and its weapons should be handed over to the Palestinian Authority, with international support and participation, in line with the goal of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state.

9- This conference and the increasing recognition of the State of Palestine aim to embody an independent, democratic, and economically viable Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security with Israel. In this regard, we appreciate the historical commitments announced by His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, including the commitment to peaceful settlement, the ongoing rejection of violence and terrorism, his statement that the Palestinian state does not intend to be a militarized state, and its readiness to work on security arrangements that serve all parties while fully respecting its sovereignty.

10- We welcome the reforms that the Palestinian Authority has begun to implement, including:

 • The cancellation of the prisoner allowances payment system that has become effective;

 • Reforming the curriculum under the supervision of the European Union and with Saudi support;

 • The commitment to conduct democratic and transparent general and presidential elections within a year after the ceasefire, allowing for democratic competition among Palestinian forces committed to the charter and principles of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

And we support President Abbas in moving forward with further reforms in the governance structure of the Palestinian Authority.

11- We also welcome the launch of the emergency coalition to support Palestine to mobilize urgent funding for the budget of the Palestinian Authority, and we invite all countries and international organizations to join this effort. We renew our demand for Israel to immediately release the withheld Palestinian customs revenues, and we commit to working on reviewing the Paris Economic Protocol and establishing a new framework for the transfer of customs funds.

12- We call on the Israeli leadership to seize this opportunity for peace, to make a clear commitment to the two-state solution, to stop acts of violence and incitement against Palestinians, to halt settlement activities, land confiscation, and annexation actions in the occupied Palestinian territory, and to put an end to settler violence. We urge it, as a first step, to withdraw the E1 project and publicly abandon any annexation project. We affirm that any form of annexation is a red line for the international community, resulting in severe consequences and posing a direct threat to existing and future peace agreements.

13- In this context, we welcome the concrete actions taken by member states in response to unilateral measures counter to the two-state solution and violations of international law, until Israel ends its practices that threaten the two-state solution, in accordance with international law.

14- We emphasize that ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, based on relevant United Nations resolutions, is the only way to achieve complete regional integration, as stipulated in the Arab Peace Initiative. In this framework, we welcome the commitment to explore opportunities for establishing a regional security system that guarantees security for all, utilizing the experiences of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), paving the way for a more stable Middle East. We renew our support for efforts to revive the Syrian-Israeli and Lebanese-Israeli tracks in order to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

15- We renew our call for all countries to join this international momentum to ensure peace and security for all peoples of the Middle East and to achieve mutual recognition and complete regional integration.