UN Secretary General António Guterres has strongly advocated a two-state solution in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “The refusal to accept a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people are unacceptable,” Guterres said on Saturday at the Non-Aligned States Summit in Uganda.
Such a position “would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to international peace and security.” The right of Palestinians to build their own state must be “recognized by everyone”, emphasized Guterres. The Non-Aligned Movement was founded during the Cold War and includes around 120 countries, including the Iran, India, Iraq and South Africa.
➤ See more information: Guterres sees the Middle East “on the brink of the abyss”
On Friday, the President of the United States also Joe Biden reiterated that he continued to support the creation of a Palestinian state. “The President still believes in the promise and possibility of a two-state solution,” said US National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirbyon Friday, following Biden's phone call with the head of the Israeli government Netanyahu. The two-state solution envisages an independent Palestinian state coexisting with Israel.
➤ Read more: After Guterres' statement: Israel's Ambassador to the UN resigns
“All territories west of the (River) Jordan”
Netanyahu, however, emphasized that in the future his country would have to have security control over “all territories west of the (river) Jordan” – which contradicts the idea of Palestinian sovereignty. The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by Hamas' unprecedented major attack on October 7. At that time, fighters from the Palestinian Islamic organization, classified as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, attacked Israel and killed around 1,140 people and kidnapped around 250 people hostage to the Gaza Strip.
In response to the attack, Israel declared war on Hamas and launched a massive military operation in the Gaza Strip. According to the latest figures from the Hamas Health Ministry, which cannot be independently verified, more than 24,900 people have been killed there since then.
➤ Find out more about current developments in Israel in our live ticker