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France Calls on the EU to Pressure Israel to Come to the Table on Palestinian Two-State Solution 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during a conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians at UN headquarters on July 28, 2025 in New York City. (AFP)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during a conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians at UN headquarters on July 28, 2025 in New York City. (AFP)
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France Calls on the EU to Pressure Israel to Come to the Table on Palestinian Two-State Solution 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during a conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians at UN headquarters on July 28, 2025 in New York City. (AFP)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks during a conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians at UN headquarters on July 28, 2025 in New York City. (AFP)

France on Monday called on the European Union to pressure Israel to agree to a two-state solution with the Palestinians, the latest escalation from the French as they seek an end to the deadly Gaza war days after pledging to recognize Palestine as a state.

Jean-Noel Barrot, the French foreign minister, told reporters at the United Nations that while there is international consensus that the time for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is now, world powers need to back up their words with actions.

“The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has to express its expectations and show the means that we can incentivize the Israeli government to hear this appeal,” he said.

Barrot spoke on the first day of a high-level UN meeting on a two-state solution to the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is being co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.

The conference, which was postponed from June and downgraded to the ministerial level, is taking place in New York as international condemnation of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza reaches a fever pitch. Both Israel and its closest ally, the United States, refused to participate in the meeting, which Barrot said is being attended by representatives of 125 countries, including 50 ministers.

The aim of the conference, Barrot said, is “to reverse the trend of what is happening in the region — mainly the erasure of the two-state solution, which has been for a long time the only solution that can bring peace and security in the region.”

He urged the European Commission to call on Israel to lift a financial blockade on 2 billion euros he says the Israeli government owes the Palestinian Authority, stop settlement building in the West Bank, which threatens the territorial integrity of a future Palestinian state, and end the “militarized” food delivery system in Gaza by the Israeli-backed US Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has resulted in hundreds of killings.

Dubravka Šuica, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, told the meeting the EU is examining new sanctions and said it’s “imperative” that Israel transfer money owed to the Palestinians, and allow the delivery of food and other aid to Gaza.

She said the EU has been a long-term partner promoting reforms of the Palestinian Authority and welcomed the recent announcement of presidential and general elections within a year across the Palestinian territories. “We are keeping the Palestinian Authority from financial collapse,” she said, underscoring that the EU is supporting it with 161.6 billion euros for the next three years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds. The US has echoed that sentiment and on Monday called the conference “unproductive and ill-timed.”

Ahead of the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state at the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly in September. The bold but mostly symbolic move is aimed at adding diplomatic pressure on Israel.

France is now the biggest Western power and the only member of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations to recognize the state of Palestine, and the move could pave the way for other countries to do the same. More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including more than a dozen in Europe.

At the conference opening, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called for all countries that have not yet recognized Palestine as a state to do so “without delay.”

“The path to peace begins by recognizing the state of Palestine and preserving it from destruction,” he said.

With global anger rising over desperately hungry people in Gaza starting to die from starvation, US President Donald Trump on Monday called for increasing aid to Palestinians, a rare glimpse of daylight between him and Netanyahu, who has said there is no starvation.

Both Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Barrot said Monday that the US is an essential actor in the region and that it was the American president in January who secured the only ceasefire in the 21-month war.

“I am firmly in the belief that Trump’s engagement can be a catalyst for an end to the immediate crisis in Gaza and potentially a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the long term,” Prince Faisal said.

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Arab World

Factions Tighten Grip on Iraq Gov’t Formation Talks

Mourners attend the funeral of members of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a PMF headquarters near the western al‑Qaim district on the Syrian border, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Suda
Mourners attend the funeral of members of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a PMF headquarters near the western al‑Qaim district on the Syrian border, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Suda
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Factions Tighten Grip on Iraq Gov’t Formation Talks

Mourners attend the funeral of members of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a PMF headquarters near the western al‑Qaim district on the Syrian border, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Suda
Mourners attend the funeral of members of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a PMF headquarters near the western al‑Qaim district on the Syrian border, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Suda

Despite the favorable conditions surrounding Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi’s efforts to form a new government, including backing from local and regional parties, observers say he still faces serious challenges, foremost among them US pressure to bar representatives of armed factions from joining the cabinet.

US President Donald Trump, voicing support last week for al-Zaidi’s nomination, said he wanted to see a new Iraqi government “free of terrorism.”

His remarks were widely interpreted as opposition to the inclusion of Iran-aligned armed factions that Washington has designated as terrorist groups.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq stands firm

Alongside US pressure, al-Zaidi faces competing domestic demands, particularly from groups seeking cabinet posts despite being under US sanctions. Chief among them is Asaib Ahl al-Haq, led by Qais al-Khazali, placing the premier-designate between two difficult constraints in his government formation efforts.

Hussein al-Shihani, a member of the political bureau of the Sadiqoun bloc, the political wing of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said in media remarks that the group is seeking one of the deputy prime minister posts.

He said the bloc is targeting underperforming ministries “to prove its ability to reform them,” including the industry ministry to revive the “Made in Iraq” label, and the education ministry, where it claims to have a reform plan.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq held key cabinet portfolios in the previous two governments, including the culture and higher education ministries, and currently occupies the position of first deputy speaker of parliament.

Shihani said the post of first deputy speaker was valued at nine or 10 “points,” with each point equivalent to a parliamentary seat, adding that Sadiqoun aims to secure a deputy prime minister position based on its share.

It remains unclear how al-Zaidi will reconcile competing international and domestic pressures.

Some political and media circles warn that competition among factions, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, over key posts around the prime minister-designate could shorten the lifespan of his prospective government.

Key hurdles

Political analyst Ihsan al-Shammari said al-Zaidi’s initial pledge to form an inclusive government could conflict with US conditions that it be free of militias designated as terrorist organizations.

He said this presents a major challenge, particularly as al-Zaidi is counting heavily on US support.

Shammari added that the issue could complicate negotiations with the political wings of armed factions, which now hold significant representation in parliament, making it difficult for al-Zaidi to bypass their influence.

He said al-Zaidi may resort to compromise, persuading factions to nominate figures who appear independent but remain loyal to them, potentially easing US pressure.

Failure to navigate these challenges could have major consequences, Shammari said, potentially leading to a repeat of the model seen under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, where armed groups were represented in government, a scenario unlikely to be accepted by Washington.

If faction-linked figures are included in the cabinet, it could reinforce domestic perceptions of their return to executive power, potentially undermining the government’s chances of success, he added.

Shammari said al-Zaidi may ultimately seek a balance between factional pressures and US demands, possibly by convincing Washington that such groups will not be directly represented in government.

Navigating the faction dilemma

Firas Elias, a political science professor at the University of Mosul specializing in Iranian studies, said it would be difficult for al-Zaidi to form a government “free of terrorism” in the sense outlined by Trump.

“The proposal reflects a US political vision more than a reality that can be achieved within Iraq’s current structure,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He said excluding these factions entirely from government is unrealistic, not only due to their influence on the ground but also because they are part of the political balance within the Coordination Framework, which is expected to serve as the main backer of al-Zaidi’s government.

Accordingly, he said, addressing the faction issue is unlikely to come through direct confrontation, but rather by recalibrating their role and limiting their influence in line with state requirements, without triggering open conflict.

The most likely scenario, Elias said, is not a government free of factions, but a more disciplined administration that contains these forces and redirects their role within the framework of the state.

Arab World

Lebanon Tests ‘Arms Monopoly’ in Beirut Suburbs Crackdown

Damage to buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Reuters)
Damage to buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Reuters)
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Lebanon Tests ‘Arms Monopoly’ in Beirut Suburbs Crackdown

Damage to buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Reuters)
Damage to buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Reuters)

Lebanese security forces are intensifying a crackdown on gunfire during funerals held by Hezbollah for its members, in a move that signals an official push to curb lawlessness and halt scenes that are becoming increasingly frequent and alarming.

The Lebanese army said in a statement that military units raided the homes of suspects involved in shooting during funerals in Beirut’s southern suburbs and in Baalbek. Two people were arrested in the southern suburbs, along with another suspect wanted on multiple warrants.

The campaign extended beyond Beirut. The army said it also detained a man identified as H.N. in the al-Sharawneh neighborhood of Baalbek and another, S.A., in the town of Brital, over gunfire during funeral ceremonies.

It said weapons and ammunition were seized. The items were handed over and investigations have begun under judicial supervision, while efforts continue to arrest others involved.

Injuries in the southern suburbs

The crackdown comes as concern grows over the fallout from the practice, which has coincided with a rise in shooting incidents across several areas.

On Sunday, people were wounded in the Kafaat area of Beirut’s southern suburbs after gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades were fired into the air during a funeral, underscoring the immediate risks.

Ambulances rushed to evacuate the wounded, highlighting how funerals are turning from moments of mourning into scenes of danger.

The phenomenon is not confined to one region. In the Bekaa Valley, the army previously carried out wide raids in Brital, east of Baalbek, following gunfire and the use of B7 rockets during the funeral of two Hezbollah members.

The operation aimed to pursue those involved and curb the use of weapons at public events, in an effort to contain the situation before it escalated.

A gradual push to assert state authority

Hezbollah appears to be distancing itself from the gunfire.

Political analyst Ali al-Amine said “field indicators, including bullets landing in populated areas and near schools, confirm the seriousness of what is happening and show that this behavior cannot be justified under any pretext.”

He said the group is indirectly seeking to disassociate itself from such acts, and even condemn them, in a bid to contain the fallout. He added that the army is acting at a sensitive time, alongside negotiations and official meetings aimed at strengthening the state’s authority.

“There is a clear effort by the authorities to show they can take executive measures, even if gradually, toward imposing a monopoly on arms,” he said, adding the steps are not a direct confrontation with Hezbollah but an attempt to contain disorder.

“What is happening is a display or chaotic use of weapons.”

A costly confrontation

Al-Amine said Hezbollah understands that any confrontation with the state or the army would be costly and yield no gains, pushing it toward rhetoric rather than direct escalation.

“Whenever the state shows seriousness, reactions are less intense than initially portrayed,” he said, adding the real issue lies in the state’s decision, not the scale of risks, which he said are often exaggerated to obstruct reform.

“If the state fails to show it can act, it risks its role and existence,” he said.

He described the developments as the start of a new path toward consolidating state authority.

“The government is seeking to assert its sovereign role and show that the era of unchecked weapons is gradually giving way to the rule of law,” he said.

Arab World

Germany’s Wadephul Says Aid to Gaza Must Be Improved

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar shake hands as they attend a news conference after their talks in Berlin, Germany, 05 May 2026. (EPA)
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar shake hands as they attend a news conference after their talks in Berlin, Germany, 05 May 2026. (EPA)
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Germany’s Wadephul Says Aid to Gaza Must Be Improved

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar shake hands as they attend a news conference after their talks in Berlin, Germany, 05 May 2026. (EPA)
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar shake hands as they attend a news conference after their talks in Berlin, Germany, 05 May 2026. (EPA)

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Tuesday aid deliveries to Gaza had to be improved and he repeated Berlin's ‌position that ‌any de ‌facto annexation ⁠of parts of ⁠the occupied West Bank by Israel would not be acceptable to Germany.

"The ⁠plight of the ‌more ‌than two ‌million people whose situation ‌has not improved must not be overlooked amidst the conflict ‌in Iran. Humanitarian aid must ⁠be ⁠improved as a matter of urgency," Wadephul said at a joint news conference in Berlin with his visiting Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.