Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa credited Saudi Arabia with leading efforts that have led countries to recognize the state of Palestine, the last of which was France’s decision on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia and France will host on Monday a ministerial conference on the two-state solution at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The conference aims to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mustafa said Saudi Arabia’s “firm positions have led to international recognition of the Palestinian state. The Kingdom has offered all possible support to such recognition, which is integral to the two-state solution and a foundation of peace, security and stability in the Middle East.”
He revealed that several countries will recognize the state of Palestine at the conference.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah said the hosting of the conference stems from the Kingdom’s firm position towards the Palestinian cause.
It is an extension of its efforts to support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and to reach just and comprehensive peace that ensures the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital, he told the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, is exerting all possible efforts to establish fair peace in the Middle East, he added.
“It is constantly seeking to end the cycle of violence and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that has gone on for too long and that has claimed tens of thousands of innocent victims and stoked hatred between peoples in the region and world,” he remarked.
He hoped Monday’s conference will create momentum towards the implementation of international resolutions calling for the establishment of two states, one in which the Palestinians can live independently.
Mustafa, meanwhile, praised France on its decision last week to recognize a Palestinian state, saying it marked an historic moment in the Palestinian cause and send hope to the Palestinian people that the world supports their right to self-determination.
The Palestinian government told Asharq Al-Awsat that Mustafa will lead the Palestinian delegation at the conference.
Nine countries have recognized the state of Palestine in 2024 alone, with Saudi Arabia leading efforts in this regard. They are Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Norway, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Armenia, bringing to 149 the number of countries that recognize the Palestinian state.
Mustafa revealed that five European countries are set to make the move soon.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told newspaper La Tribune Dimanche in an interview published on Sunday that he will use the conference this week to push other countries to join France in recognizing a Palestinian state.
France intends to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said last week.
"We will launch an appeal in New York so that other countries join us to initiate an even more ambitious and demanding dynamic that will culminate on September 21," Barrot said.
