Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas: Peace Without Two-State Solution Not Possible in the Middle East

Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas said peace without a two-state solution is not possible in the Middle East, as he warned Saudi Arabia, which is on the eve of recognizing Israel.

Call for International Conference on Palestinian State

“Those who think that peace can prevail in the Middle East without the Palestinian people enjoying their full, legitimate national rights would be mistaken,” Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday.

Appeal to U.N. Secretary-General

The veteran 87-year-old leader made a new appeal to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to call an international conference on creating a Palestinian state.

Stalled Negotiations

The United States, historically the peace broker between the two sides, has all but given up on serious negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government, which has pushed forward controversial settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Last Opportunity to Salvage Two-State Solution

A UN conference “may be the last opportunity to salvage the two-state solution and to prevent the situation from deteriorating more seriously and threatening the security and stability of our region and the entire world,” Abbas said.

Saudi Normalization and Israeli Relations

His address came a day after Netanyahu discussed Saudi normalization in a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that the process was getting “closer.”

Israel and the United States believe that Israeli relations with Saudi Arabia would be a game-changer for the Middle East.