New York, Sept. 22 (Petra) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed Monday the urgent need for the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution to serve as a catalyst for irreversible progress toward ending the illegal occupation and realizing the shared aspiration for two sovereign states capable of survival.

Guterres emphasized that the two-state solution is fully aligned with international law, enjoys General Assembly endorsement, and represents the only viable path to achieving just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as broader peace and security in the Middle East.

"This requires difficult decisions from all parties and bold, principled leadership," Guterres said, urging participants to exert every effort to ensure the two-state solution prevails for the benefit of both peoples and humanity at large.

Addressing the conference organized by Saudi Arabia and France, he said, "Let us set illusions aside and be realistic. Generations have passed without resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dialogue has collapsed, resolutions have been ignored, international law has been violated, and decades of diplomacy have yielded no results. The situation is now unbearable and deteriorates moment by moment." Guterres highlighted that the solution entails establishing two independent democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders based on pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states in accordance with international law, UN resolutions, and related agreements.

He welcomed steps by UN member states to rally support for the two-state solution, including pledges to recognize the State of Palestine, and affirmed support for the General Assembly’s New York Declaration.

Guterres also called for an end to the aggression in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank, stressing, "Nothing justifies the developments in the West Bank that threaten the two-state solution ongoing settlement expansion, creeping annexation, and increasing settler violence must stop." He underscored that the current situation is morally, legally, and politically unsustainable and stressed the urgent need to reaffirm commitment to a two-state solution based on mutual recognition of two sovereign, democratic states with full international integration and survival capabilities.

Guterres questioned those obstructing the process: "What is the alternative? A one-state scenario where Palestinians are denied fundamental rights, displaced from their homes and lands, and forced to live under occupation and oppression? How can this be acceptable in the 21st century? Such a scenario achieves neither peace nor justice and will only deepen Israel’s international isolation." The Secretary-General concluded by asserting that establishing a Palestinian state is not a concession but a right, warning that denial of this right would embolden extremists globally.

"Without the two-state solution, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and extremism will spread worldwide," he said.

//Petra// AF