UN conference on the Middle East: Switzerland calls emphatically for diplomatic steps towards a two-state solution

At the UN conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, Switzerland expressed its profound dismay at the appalling and steadily worsening situation facing the people in the Gaza Strip. “The current situation is intolerable and we must act urgently” said Monika Schmutz Kirgöz, head of the FDFA's Middle East and North Africa Division, who represented Switzerland at the conference in New York with the rank of state secretary. In view of the fact that basic services have collapsed throughout the Gaza Strip and the worst-case scenario of famine has materialised, Switzerland is supporting various partner organisations that are providing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere.

Millions of civilians have been suffering since the terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza. Switzerland therefore emphasised in New York that all parties must strictly comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter and UN resolutions, so that the vicious circle of violence can be broken.

From Switzerland's point of view, it is equally important to restore a political horizon and to take urgent diplomatic steps to implement the two-state solution, in which two states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and within secure and recognised borders. From a Swiss perspective, such a solution is the only one that can guarantee the Israeli and Palestinian people a life in peace, security and dignity.

In this context, Switzerland considers the recognition of the Palestinian state to be intrinsic to a lasting peace based on the two-state solution. Recognition could be considered if concrete measures to implement it – which guarantee both Israel's security and the Palestinian people's right to self-determination – are addressed.

At the conference in New York, Ms Schmutz Kirgöz thus called “emphatically on all parties to engage seriously and constructively in dialogue and the search for lasting peace.” Switzerland is prepared to resolutely support international efforts to implement the two-state solution. This conference is only the first stage of the process towards the common goal of a safer and peaceful region.

Ms Schmutz Kirgöz also used her stay in New York for various bilateral meetings, each of which focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory as well as efforts to find a political solution to the Middle East conflict.

France and Saudi Arabia are currently planning to organise a follow-up conference as part of the UN High-level Week in September.

Links

-       Statement

-       Contributions to humanitarian partners in the occupied Palestinian territory

-       Middle East news platform

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