Israeli and Palestinian Groups Urge G7 to Back Two-State Solution

Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives met in Paris on June 12 to advocate for a two-state solution amid the ongoing Middle East war. The gathering, hosted by the Government of France and organized by the Paris Peace Forum, brought together up to 250 representatives from 80 organizations. Participants issued an eight-point Call for Action urging a permanent monitored ceasefire in Gaza, a halt to Israeli settlement expansion, the reconstruction of Gaza, and governance reforms.

Foreign ministers from countries including Brazil, Canada, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates attended the event. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the two-state solution as the only viable path to peace and announced the raising of 20 million euros to support the process. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized that the current year could be decisive for peace efforts. The action plan is scheduled for delivery to G7 leaders at their upcoming summit in the French Alps.

Both the United States and Israel boycotted the conference. The Israeli embassy dismissed the meeting, stating it would not promote peace and claiming Palestinians have repeatedly rejected statehood proposals. The conference occurred as France, Britain, Canada, and Norway implemented coordinated sanctions against Israeli networks linked to violence in the West Bank, specifically amid growing international concern over the E1 settlement project near Jerusalem.