UN conference closed with a call to end Hamas board in Gaza
The United Nations Conference (UN) on a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in New York ended on Tuesday with a call from seventeen countries to end the Hamas board in the Gaza Strip. The countries also ask for concrete steps to stop the conflict.
Among other things, influential Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar signed the final statement. The latter two countries act as a mediator in the peace conversations between Israel and the extremist Palestinian organization Hamas. The United Kingdom and France also supported the statement.
The signatories also condemned the “attacks of Israel on civilians and civil infrastructure in Gaza, the siege and famine, who led to a devastating humanitarian crisis”. They called on the Israeli army to withdraw from the coastal strip and put an end to settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.
The group of countries also emphasized that it supports a UN power in the region to help stabilize the conflict. The statement is expected to be officially adopted by the United Nations by September, and in the meantime more countries will probably join. The ambitions for the conference, organized by Saudi Arabia and France, were limited, since important players such as Israel and the United States were absent.