United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to recommit to the two-state solution, describing it as essential not only for Israelis and Palestinians but for global peace and security.
Guterres made the appeal on Monday in New York at the resumption of an international conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, focused on the Israel-Palestine conflict and prospects for a two-state solution. The meeting took place ahead of the UN General Assembly’s annual high-level debate.
“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is morally, legally, and politically intolerable. The nightmare must stop,” he declared.
The UN chief condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, stressing that nothing could justify such violence. At the same time, he said the Palestinian people must not be subjected to collective punishment. He repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and safe, unrestricted humanitarian access.
Guterres also voiced concern about developments in the West Bank, warning that “relentless settlement expansion, the creeping threat of annexation, and intensifying settler violence” threaten the viability of a two-state solution.
“Statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward,” he said, drawing applause. “Denying that right would only empower extremists. Without two States, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and radicalism will spread globally.”
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock echoed his remarks, stressing that a two-state solution remains the only viable path for peace. “We know some believe this is naïve, given decades of setbacks. But abandoning what is right would mean letting evil prevail — and that would mark the end of this institution,” she said.
Baerbock added that the international community is committed not just to reaffirming the principle of two states but to identifying “tangible, timebound and irreversible steps” to make it a reality, backed by decisive action and international guarantees.