UN Secretary-General: “The truth is: we are at a breaking point. The two-State solution is farther than ever before.”

I thank the Governments of France and Saudi Arabia for organizing this international conference on the implementation of the two-State solution.

We are here today with our eyes wide open — fully aware of the challenges before us.  We know that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured for generations — defying hopes, defying diplomacy, defying countless resolutions, defying international law.

We know that the conflict continues to take lives, destroy futures and destabilize the region and our world.  But, we also know its persistence is not inevitable.  It can be resolved.  That demands political will and courageous leadership.  And it demands truth.  The truth is:  we are at a breaking point.  The two-State solution is farther than ever before.

Nothing can justify the horrific 7 October [2023] terror attacks by Hamas and the taking of hostages, both of which I have repeatedly condemned.  And nothing can justify the obliteration of Gaza that has unfolded before the eyes of the world.

The starvation of the population; the killing of tens of thousands of civilians; the further fragmentation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory; the relentless expansion of settlements; the surge in settler violence against Palestinians; the demolition of homes and forced displacement of populations; the changes to demographics on the ground; the absence of any credible political horizon.

And the support — as expressed in a Knesset declaration voted last week — for annexing the Occupied West Bank.  Let’s be clear:  The creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank is illegal.  It must stop.  The wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable.  It must stop.  Unilateral actions that would forever undermine the two-State solution are unacceptable.  They must stop.

These are not isolated events.  They are part of a systemic reality that is dismantling the building blocks of peace in the Middle East.  And yet, precisely because of the grim realities, we must do even more to realize the two-State solution.  Today’s conference is a rare and indispensable opportunity.  We must ensure that it does not become another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric.

It can and must serve as a decisive turning point — one that catalyses irreversible progress towards ending the occupation and realizing our shared aspiration for a viable two-State solution.  The two-State solution remains the only framework rooted in international law, endorsed by this Assembly and supported by the international community.

Specifically:  Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States — in line with international law, UN resolutions and other relevant agreements.

Two independent, contiguous, democratic and sovereign States recognized by all and fully integrated into the international community. It is the only credible path to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  And it is the sine qua non for peace across the wider Middle East.

Israel, Palestine and others will have to make difficult decisions on that path.  Bold and principled leadership will be required on all sides.  We are here to encourage and support that effort.  Thank you for coming together to advance this essential cause for the people of Israel, Palestine and all humanity.