Norway to host third meeting of global alliance backing Palestinian state

Dozens of countries are set to send delegates to Norway on Wednesday for a global alliance focused on finding a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Norway's foreign ministry, News.az reports citing The Times of Israel.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, the head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini, and UN envoy to the Middle East Tor Wennesland are among those due to attend.

It will be the third meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which was announced in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The first two meetings were held in Saudia Arabia in late October and in Brussels in late November.

“While we must continue to work for an end to the war (in Gaza), we must also work for a lasting solution to the conflict that guarantees self-determination, security and justice for both the Palestinians and the Israelis,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

“There is broad support for a two-state solution, but the international community must do more to make it a reality.”

Representatives of more than 80 countries and organizations are expected to take part in the meeting, though no official Israeli delegation has been announced.

Israel was angered when several countries — including Norway — decided to recognize the Palestinian state in May last year.

The war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel, has revived discussions of a two-state solution. But analysts say the possibility remains more remote than ever, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — backed by US President-elect Donald Trump — opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

News.Az