International efforts to revive a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine will take center stage at a high-level diplomatic meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York later this month. The conference, scheduled for July 28–29, will be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, according to a French diplomatic source.
Initially planned for June, the event was postponed due to heightened regional tensions stemming from Israel’s military actions against Iran. The upcoming talks aim to build momentum toward a diplomatic resolution that would allow Israel and a future Palestinian state to coexist peacefully.
The meeting will take place at the ministerial level and will include French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, his office confirmed. It is expected to set the stage for a larger summit involving heads of state and government, which is likely to be held either in Paris or New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly opening on September 22.
According to the French source, the conference’s key objective is to “advance the recognition of a Palestinian state by a number of countries that have not yet taken that step, including France.” Paris has previously indicated that any decision on recognition would ideally be taken in coordination with other international partners.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently called for joint recognition of Palestinian statehood by France and the United Kingdom, signaling a shift toward more active European engagement in the Middle East peace process. However, Foreign Minister Barrot previously stated that France would not act unilaterally on the issue—hinting at a desire to couple recognition with reciprocal steps, such as normalization agreements between Arab nations and Israel.
The diplomatic initiative also comes amid renewed attention to the stalled peace process following the Gaza conflict. Saudi Arabia, while central to the recent Abraham Accords discussions led by former U.S. President Donald Trump, has firmly stated that it will not normalize relations with Israel until the war in Gaza ends and tangible progress is made toward a two-state framework.
The Abraham Accords, signed during Trump’s presidency, saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco normalize ties with Israel—the first such moves by Arab nations in decades. However, Saudi Arabia has consistently linked normalization to a just resolution for Palestinians.
With tensions in the region still high, the upcoming ministerial talks are viewed as a critical step in re-engaging the international community around the two-state vision, while potentially paving the way for broader diplomatic breakthroughs in the months ahead.
