One year ago, 142 countries signed the New York Declaration for the Implementation of the two-State solution. This Declaration is a manifestation of support by the overwhelming majority of the world’s countries, not only for the creation of a Palestinian state, alongside the state of Israel, but of the means to make it happen.
Since the New York Declaration was signed, US engagement led to the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, which was endorsed by the UN Security Council.
Speaking in New York, High Representative Kaja Kallas said:
“The Palestinian Authority has been working on concrete progress on reform and in extremely difficult circumstances. Also reform needs to continue, not least because it is a key condition in the Gaza Peace Plan.
Despite the challenging context in Palestine, the Palestinian Authority is also preparing for legislative elections, which the European Union fully supports. These have to take place.”
The High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, has been leading important efforts to advance the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan, including via a roadmap for decommissioning and Israeli withdrawal.
“All this comes at a time of elections, for Palestinians and Israelis. We should embrace this unique moment and the opportunities it may open.
However, and this is a big however, the ambition of our Global Alliance, and indeed of the New York Declaration, is increasingly at odds with the hard realities on the ground.”
While the High Representative was speaking in New York, in Gaza, progress on the ground remains far too limited: strikes continue, humanitarian needs remain acute, and too many commitments have yet to translate into tangible improvements for Palestinians in Gaza. In the West Bank, unlimited violence continues, as well as settlement expansion undermining the viability of the two-State solution.
Therefore, the UN and EU’s task today is not to reaffirm support for the goal of this group but to close the gap between commitments, actions and the realities on the ground.
Kallas underlined that two States living side by side in peace and security remains the best course to build comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Palestine and Israel, and for the region as a whole.
