Republic of Angola Statement: High-Level International Conference on Peaceful Solution of the Question of Palestine and Implementation of the Two-State Solution

22 September 2025

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY JOÃO MANUEL GONÇALVES LOURENÇO, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ANGOLA

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Distinguished Co-Presidents,

Excellencies,

I would like to welcome the holding of this important International Conference, which confirms the commitment of United Nations Member States to the urgent search for a peaceful, just and lasting solution to one of the most complex conflicts on the planet and the oldest in the Middle East.

Special mention should be made to the French Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which have committed themselves very firmly and tirelessly to carrying out this initiative.

Excellencies,

In the context of this meeting, the “New York Political Declaration on the Peaceful Resolution of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution“, adopted on September 12 of this year by the United Nations General Assembly, assumes unquestionable relevance, as it demonstrated that there is an increasingly growing international consensus on the need to end the war in Gaza based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution.

This conflict, which has lasted for decades and has an unusual level of violence, will not be resolved, as all the evidence shows, by resorting to weapons, no matter how sophisticated they may be. The international community, which is increasingly aware of this fact, must urgently use all means at its disposal to convince the belligerents that the only way out of this situation is through dialogue to achieve a definitive peace, based on the creation of the State of Palestine and peaceful coexistence between the two peoples.

This is the position of the African Union, which also includes the principle that East Jerusalem should be the capital of the independent and sovereign State of Palestine and that the Republic of Angola is unconditionally aligned with the African continental organization, in this effort in which we are all committed to the definitive resolution of this conflict.

Excellencies,

We are following with deep concern the alarming reports about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where entire communities, including many children, succumb daily to hunger and survive in subhuman conditions.

Africa in general and the Republic of Angola in particular, we have a firm position of condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and within this principle, we condemn the action that resulted in the death and kidnapping of a large number of people in Israel by Hamas, therefore we demand their urgent and unconditional release, as a step towards creating the détente necessary for dialogue.

Along with our unequivocal condemnation of the acts of deliberate violence perpetrated against Israeli civilians by Hamas, we also repudiate the disproportionate reaction of the State of Israel with the use of fighter jets, bombers, tanks and heavy artillery, not against a conventional army, but against the defenseless civilian population of Palestine, journalists, medical personnel and employees of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations and agencies, under the pretext of persecuting Hamas.

We also condemn the instrumentalization of humanitarian assistance as a weapon of war, due to its profoundly inhumane and difficult to justify. In the face of this tragedy, it is urgent that we call for the immediate suspension of measures that obstruct and jeopardize the fundamental rights of millions of Palestinians, including the right to life, medical care, and food.

We view with great concern the acts of war carried out selectively by Israel in several countries in the region, in total disregard for the norms of international law and the principles and values of the United Nations Charter, which produce no other effect than to lead to a resurgence of tension and instability in the Middle East, by destroying the prospects for resolving the conflict through dialogue and negotiation.

Excellencies,

The Republic of Angola, in an act of coherence and historical anticipation, formally recognized the State of Palestine on December 6, 1988, and is pleased today to see that several United Nations Member States have decided to take a similar step at this session, which will reinforce the international community’s commitment to compliance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions on the creation of the State of Palestine.

The same international community that in 1948 decided to create the State of Israel, with all sense of justice, take today a decisive step towards the creation of the State of Palestine, understanding that the Palestinian people have an equal right to live in an internationally recognized State, as a full member of the United Nations, which will recognize and maintain good neighborly and cooperative relations with the neighboring State of Israel.

We are thus taking a giant step towards creating factors of peace, stability and justice in the Middle East, where the end of the conflict that has lasted for several decades will represent an unquestionable contribution to global security.

Thank you very much

Related items: 

• High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution – Question of Palestine
• New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State solution – UN High-Level International Conference [AR, EN, FR, ES, RU, CH] – Question of Palestine
• Annex – New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution (A/CONF.243/2025/1/Add.1) – Question of Palestine