What to know ahead of the UN summit on the Question of Palestine

A settler woman walks past an Israeli soldier standing guard in East Jerusalem. Photo: IRIN/Andreas Hackl (file photo)

What to expect from the September 22 summit

Held on the opening day of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week – the annual September gathering of world leaders – the initiative comes amid a deeply worrying regional backdrop: intensified Israeli military operations that have killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza since October 7, 2023; the determination of famine in northern Gaza on August 22; Israel’s strikes against Hamas officials in Qatar on September 9; and accelerating settlement expansion in the West Bank.

Despite the volatile regional context, the two-state solution is regaining diplomatic traction.

On September 12, the General Assembly adopted by a wide margin the “New York Declaration,” following a July conference also co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. It called for “just and lasting peace grounded in international law and based on the two-state solution.”

To end the war, it urged Hamas to “end its role in Gaza, and handover its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.” The United States and Israel, which had boycotted the July conference, voted against the text.

The September 22 summit will likely build on that momentum: French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce France’s recognition of the State of Palestine, and several other Western countries, including the UK, Canada, Belgium, and Australia, are reportedly considering following suit.

In short: the summit’s impact could inject new momentum into efforts to establish a UN roadmap towards two states.