CrossFireArarbia

16 Countries Support Two-State Solution

CrossFireArabia
July 31, 2025

The “New York Declaration,” launched Tuesday at a United Nations conference, reaffirmed support for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict amid the rising famine and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza following Israeli assaults.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s offensive on Gaza has killed over 60,000 Palestinians. Relentless bombing has devastated the enclave, causing severe food shortages. At least 154 people, including 89 children, have died from starvation.

The declaration was issued at the conclusion of the High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held under the joint chairmanship of Saudi Arabia and France according to Anadolu.

“We agreed to take collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful, and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution, and to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis, and all peoples of the region,” the statement said.

According to the declaration, recent developments have “highlighted, once again, and more than ever, the terrifying human toll and the grave implications for regional and international peace and security” caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict.

It added that without “decisive measures towards the two-state solution and robust international guarantees, the conflict will deepen and regional peace will remain elusive.”

In comments made by Turkish officials at the meeting, the following statements were used: “Based on the decades-long Israeli record, handover of weapons by Palestinian armed groups should be closely conditioned to the realization of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital or in accordance with an agreement reached among Palestinian groups as part of the reconciliation process.”

Türkiye, France, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Norway, Qatar, Senegal, Spain, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the Arab League endorsed the declaration.

‘Gaza must be unified with West Bank’

The statement called for an immediate end to Israel’s war in Gaza, expressing support for efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to bring all parties back to the ceasefire agreement.

It emphasized the importance of implementing all phases of the agreement, including a permanent end to hostilities, the release of all hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, the return of all remains, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Following the ceasefire, the declaration also suggested the establishment of a transitional administrative committee to operate in Gaza under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority.

The statement reaffirmed that Gaza is “an integral part of a Palestinian state” and “must be unified” with the occupied West Bank. It emphasized that governance, law enforcement, and security across all Palestinian territories should fall solely under the authority of the Palestinian Authority, with appropriate international support.

The document also welcomed the Palestinian Authority’s “One State, One Government, One Law, One Gun” policy and pledged support for its implementation.

According to the declaration, this includes advancing a disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) process, to be carried out within a framework agreed upon with international partners and under a set timeframe.

The declaration reaffirmed support for a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security. It backed the Palestinian right to self-determination and said full UN membership for Palestine is essential to any lasting political solution.

International legal action highlighted

The annex to the New York Declaration, summarizing proposals from participating states, calls for full cooperation with international legal bodies.

It urges ICC member states to support the court’s investigation into the situation in Palestine and encourages countries to join the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Uncategorized

Horror Graph

CrossFireArabia
July 31, 2025

OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.

Opinion

Gaza, Surrealism and Empty Stomachs

CrossFireArabia
July 31, 2025

By Michael Jansen

“Let them eat cake” is a careless remark traditionally but falsely attributed to France’s Queen Marie Antoinette at a time peasants had no bread and were starving. She and her husband King Louis the 16th were beheaded in 1793 during the French Revolution which overthrew the monarchy.

This past week Donald Trump spent five days in Scotland playing golf at two courses which he owns while 2.3 million Palestinians faced famine and starvation due to a four-and-a-half-month Israeli blockade of Gaza. During a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump finally acknowledged there is “real starvation” in Gaza. Later in the day, he claimed he had “told Israel maybe they have to do it a different way.” This suggested by adopting a new, less punitive policy. He was speaking after Egyptian and Qatari-mediated negotiations on a 60-day ceasefire had broken down, the US and Israel blamed Hamas and left Doha, delaying a full resumption of aid.

Hamas had demanded a return to UN and international agency deliveries of water, food, medicine, and fuel which have been blocked by Israel since March 2nd, Israeli withdrawal from areas of Gaza occupied since Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18th, and an end to Israel’s war on Gaza once the ceasefire expired.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had refused all these demands and was backed up by his good friend Donald Trump. Instead of thinking of starving Gazans, Trump stated, “Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it’s very bad. It got to the point where you [Israel] have to finish the job.” He did at that time admit that images of starving children in Gaza were “terrible” but added, “They’re stealing the food,” echoing the Israeli accusation that Hamas is guilty of depriving Gazans of food. This has been denied by the World Food Programme and the UN agency looking after Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

Israel has been fighting Hamas since October 7th, 2023, when it killed 1,200 and abducted 250, but Israel’s armed forces have failed to “finish the job.” Trump has given Israel permission to fight on indefinitely without totatally ending the blockade.

Alarmed by the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza, Germany, France and Britian have called on Israel to end the conflict, “immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and urgently allow UN and humanitarian NGOs to resume operations. “Israel must uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law.”

Pressure from these three countries, the UN, and international humanitarian agencies has compelled Israel to declare 10-hour tactical pauses in the fighting in three areas of Gaza. During these pauses which could last a week or so, Israel is to allow air drops of supplies by Jordan, the Emirates and Israel, permit scores of lorries laden with aid to enter the strip, and create “humanitarian corridors” for aid deliveries. These “concessions” are far from a ceasefire and the reopening of all crossings into Gaza for between 500-600 lorries a day. Furthermore, this number must be greatly increased to compensate for Israel’s blockade which has deprived Gazans of sustenance as well as water, electricity and fuel.

Specialised food to treat malnutrition must be included as starving people cannot absorb normal food. Parcels being delivered contain rice, lentils, and beans which cannot be cooked by many of the 90 per cent of Palestinians who have been displaced from their homes and live in tents in crowded camps. There is no wood in Gaza for fires and Palestinians rely on rubbish and plastic which pollute the environment. Palestinians cannot survive on the other items the parcels: sugar, salt, and flour. The latter they can exchange at bakeries for bread.

If ever the previous flow of humanitarian aid is restored, Gazans will need fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and chicken to revert to a nutritious diet. They used to be raised on Gaza’s farms or brought into Gaza by commercial firms from Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank.

In Sunday’s New York Times, World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder Jose Andres proposed a programme which could help resolve Gaza’s hunger crisis. He called for the reopening by Israel of humanitarian corridors to all aid groups working in Gaza and permission to operate multiple communal kitchens. While WCK has been providing hot meals in Gaza since the war began in 2023, he proposed an increase in the production from thousands to one million hot meals a day and to feed families where they dwell. He said five large cooking facilities would have to be built in safe zones “where bulk supplies can be delivered, prepared and distributed without risk of violence.” These kitchens “would supply hundreds of smaller community kitchens “at the neighbourhood level throughout Gaza, empowering communities as essential partners.”

This project depends on obtaining the agreement of Israel and equipment, raw food and fuel supplies which could be provided by aid agencies and concerned governments.

The author is a columnist for the Jordan Times

News

Israeli War: Gaza Death Toll Spikes to Over 60,000

CrossFireArabia
July 30, 2025

At least 60,138 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

A ministry statement said that 104 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 399 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 146,269 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

The ministry also noted that 60 Palestinians were killed and over 195 injured while trying to get humanitarian aid in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid to 1,239, with over 8,152 others wounded, since May 27.

The Israeli army resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 8,970 people and injured 34,228 others, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Analyses

Palestinian State Out of Gaza Horrors?

Dr Khairi Janbek
July 30, 2025

It is hoped that the appeals for more recognitions of the Palestine state in the UN General Assembly in New York will increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partners to drastically change course and make the Palestinian state a reality.

Notwithstanding the US neutrality recognition, at least as things stand now, coupled with the increased efforts from the European Union, Israel stands to be ostracized in the international community.

One point remains rather curious however, is UK’s Premier Keir Starmer’s condition being that Britain will recognize a Palestinian state if Israel refuses to accept a ceasefire on Gaza.

For all intents and purposes, it seems what Starmer is interested in, is basically a ceasefire and then Palestinian state, but then again this is for the British government to ponder on in the face of the rolling train of recognitions.

But what does this recognition entails in practical terms? It basically means the stalled Oslo negotiations since 1993 are to be revived again, and if need be on different terms than what was envisioned before. Here one says different terms because the Oslo agreements were guaranteed by the world powers and nothing came out of them.

Indeed much more must be done by the world community, especially that now, we have a more difficult and intransigent Israeli government which needs above all else to accept, at least in principle, the two-state solution.

But also and at the same time time, the recognition of a Palestinian state entails the recognition of a Palestinian leadership with the ability and responsibility to represent the Palestinian people.

One supposes there is a general consensus on that now since the current PNA has become defunct and its current leadership obsolete in front of the immense responsibilities and tasks ahead.

In brief, it would be a mere rhetorical smokescreen to call on recognizing a Palestinian state without actually paving the way for the creation of such a state by totally changing the current PNA leadership via honest elections supervised by the international community and which represent the will of the Palestinian people.

Of course one cannot but insist, that the Arab role in the newly envisaged peace process is crucial. One also cannot help but think that the role of Saudi Arabia will be crucial for the next phase. For start, the precondition of Saudi for any form of dealings with Israel, is for the latter to accept the principle of two-state solution, and in fairness it must be clarified that the French-Saudi initiative which led Emmanuel Macron to recognize a Palestinian state was supposed to be declared in in Paris.

But now due to this effort, it has become an international case at the UN. Israel has failed with all of its endeavors to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia without giving any concessions, mainly the acceptance of the precondition of the recognition of the two-state solution, and now it is facing both the pressure of the international community and the condition of the Saudis, especially they shift their strategy from the UAE to India, and without the Saudis they will have nothing in the Gulf.

But still there is the bleeding wound of Gaza, the wound which can never start to heal without a collective Arab effort led by the Saudis which takes back to the conundrum of Israel’s acceptance of the principle of Palestinian state. Only then can Saudi Arabia lead the Arab effort, to first of all disarm Hamas, give an amnesty to Hamas members, and exile its leadership out of Gaza, in the hope of rehabilitating the strip and start in earnest the reconstruction efforts.