New york: The United Nations has opened a three-day conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia with the objective of recognizing Palestinian statehood and seeking an end to the Israeli conflict in Gaza. This initiative comes just days after France announced its plan to officially recognize Palestine as a state in September.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the conference commenced on Monday after a delay of over a month. French President Emmanuel Macron had previously declared France’s intention to recognize Palestine officially, and this conference is seen as a step towards that goal. Paris and Riyadh had initially proposed the U.N. meeting to revive the peace talks that stalled following the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which began in early October 2023.

French Foreign Minister Jean-No«l Barrot highlighted that the conference would also serve as a platform for other European countries to consider recognizing Palestinian statehood. Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, reinforced the Palestinians’ ‘legitimate right’ to an independent state along the 1967 borders, with East Al-Quds as its capital. He also announced that Riyadh is working toward gaining World Bank approval to transfer 300 million dollars to the besieged Gaza and the occupied West Bank to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa urged all countries to ‘recognize the state of Palestine without delay,’ emphasizing that it is the responsibility of all states to act promptly. He made this plea during the opening of the meeting at the U.N. headquarters in New York. However, despite increasing international pressure on Israel, the Israeli regime and its main ally, the United States, are not participating in the meeting. The U.S. State Department criticized the event as ‘unproductive and ill-timed,’ dismissing it as a ‘publicity stunt’ that would complicate peace efforts. Washington has previously vetoed several U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at ending the Israeli war on Gaza.