KEY POINTS
- Suffering in Gaza and insecurity in Israel demand a new reality
- Saudi Arabia and France hold high-level global conference on peaceful settlement of Palestinian issue
NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States on Tuesday said that the two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel crisis is the only path to justice, security, and stability.
“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains one of the most intractable challenges of our time, a wound that festers on the global conscience and destabilises the Middle East, Princess Reema bint Bandar wrote on X.
“The starvation and suffering—families without food, shelter, and the basic needs to survive—demands urgent action,” she said.
She said the Kingdom has long advocated for a two-state solution as the only viable path to lasting peace, one that ensures dignity and self-determination for Palestinians while establishing a foundation of security and stability for Israel and the region.
“This is not merely a diplomatic position; it is a moral, strategic, and practical necessity grounded in justice and the pursuit of a shared future,” she said.
Saudi Arabia and France led a high-level international conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution at the UN on Monday.
“Our pursuit of peace and security for the region is both part of our history and central to goals for modernisation and growth under Vision 2030,” noted the Saudi Ambassador.
Princess Reema bint Bandar noted the Kingdom has championed a peaceful resolution for decades, known as the Arab Peace Initiative, based on the conviction that peace in the region is inseparable from justice for Palestinians.
“This vision, first articulated in 2002, offers Israel full normalisation with the Arab world in exchange for Palestinian statehood. The two-state solution is essential because it addresses the root causes of the conflict: the denial of Palestinian self-determination and the insecurity that fuels extremism on both sides,” she wrote.
The diplomat said the war in Gaza and the broader conflicts in the region underscore the urgency of this moment. “The humanitarian toll is staggering: 1.9 million Palestinians are displaced, and famine looms as aid trickles in,” she said.
Princess Reema stated: A two-state solution is the only framework that can end the bloodshed, rebuild Gaza, and create a sustainable future. Without it, we risk perpetuating a cycle of violence that breeds despair and empowers extremists.
She added that the suffering in Gaza, the despair in the West Bank, and the insecurity in Israel demand a new reality.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out a large-scale military campaign in the Gaza Strip, resulting in widespread destruction.
The conflict has led to the deaths of over 60,000 people and the displacement of millions. Israel now faces international accusations of war crimes and genocide.
Earlier this year, Israel imposed an 11-week blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
During that time, numerous reports emerged of civilians being killed while trying to access food at aid distribution sites, some of which were operated by an Israeli-supported foundation.
Following growing global condemnation over the worsening humanitarian crisis and accusations of deliberate starvation tactics, aid deliveries have begun to resume.
Over the past weekend, UN vehicles reentered Gaza, and airdrops of supplies have restarted, providing a lifeline to the civilian population.
