June conference chaired by France and Saudis will aim to make two-state solution relevant again

French President Emmanuel Macron announces that he and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will co-chair a conference on the establishment of a Palestinian state in June.

“We have decided to co-chair a conference for the two states in June next year,” Macron says, referring to Israel and a potential Palestinian state.

“In the coming months, together we will multiply and combine our diplomatic initiatives to bring everyone along this path,” he adds.

Responding to a question on whether France will recognize a Palestinian state, the French president says he will do so “at the right moment” and at a time “when it triggers reciprocal movements of recognition.”

“We want to involve several other partners and allies, both European and non-European, who are ready to move in this direction but who are waiting for France,” he adds.

Macron says the aim is to “trigger a movement of recognition in favor of Israel,” which he says could “provide answers in terms of security for Israel and convince people that the two-state solution is a solution that is relevant for Israel.”

Saudi Arabia appeared close to a deal to normalize relations with Israel as part of a package that would include security guarantees from the United States, prior to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack which has sparked nearly 14 months of war in Gaza and elsewhere.

Recognition by Saudi Arabia would be a landmark moment in the acceptance of Israel as the kingdom is the guardian of Islam’s two holiest sites. But it has conditioned the move on Israel agreeing to a pathway toward a Palestinian state — a nonstarter for the current hardline government.