(AFP) — France’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “stronger than ever,” the French ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday after Washington signaled it was ready to step away from the policy.
French Ambassador Francois Delattre (pictured) recalled that the international community gathered at the Paris conference last month had reaffirmed support for a settlement that would see the creation of a Palestinian state.
“It’s not up to me, of course, to comment on other countries’ positions, but what I can say is our commitment to the two-state solution is stronger than ever,” Delattre told reporters.
The comments came ahead of White House talks between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Tuesday, a senior White House official said the United States would no longer seek to dictate the terms of any eventual peace settlement by insisting on a Palestinian state alongside Israel, but would support whatever the sides agree together.
“A two-state solution that doesn’t bring peace is not a goal that anybody wants to achieve,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“Peace is the goal, whether that comes in the form of a two-state solution if that’s what the parties want, or something else if that’s what the parties want.”
The remarks outraged the Palestinians, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said following a meeting in Cairo with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi is that “everything must be done” to salvage the goal.