Before the assembly of heads of state and government during the high-level week of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, leaders from 12 European countries, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have already expressed their willingness or positive consideration of recognizing the State of Palestine as an essential step towards the two-state solution, according to a joint declaration signed by the Portuguese Foreign Minister at the conference’s conclusion in New York on Tuesday.
The declaration is signed by Andorra, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, and Spain. Among these countries, Spain, Ireland, Norway, and Slovenia recognized the Palestinian state last year.
France announced last week its intention to take this step at the UN General Assembly in September, and the United Kingdom may do the same, as announced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday.
“We invite all countries that have not yet done so to join this appeal” for recognizing the State of Palestine, the ministers urge in the joint declaration, also calling on those who have not yet done so “to establish normal relations with Israel and express their willingness to begin discussions on the regional integration of the State of Israel.”
The 15 countries are further committed to “working on a ‘next day’ architecture in Gaza to ensure Gaza’s reconstruction, Hamas’s disarmament, and its exclusion from Palestinian governance.”
The ministers condemn the “heinous antisemitic terrorist attack on October 7, 2023,” perpetrated by the Palestinian Islamist movement in Israeli territory, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and around 250 hostages — of whom about 50, including 20 alive, remain detained in the Palestinian enclave.
“We demand an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by Hamas, including the remains of deceased persons, as well as the guarantee of unhindered humanitarian access,” they state in the declaration.
The declaration expresses “deep concern over the high number of civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” emphasizing the “essential role” of the United Nations and its agencies in “facilitating humanitarian assistance.”
Israel has halted the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave for months, while the delivery of food, by a private organization supported by Israelis and Americans, is marked by the deaths of over 1,000 Palestinians by Israeli forces.
The UN and other organizations have reported hunger in Gaza, which has led to growing global outrage over Israeli policies and practices — which Israel denies.
The 15 countries reiterate their “unwavering commitment to the vision of a two-state solution, where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, coexist peacefully within secure and recognized borders, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.”
They also emphasize the “importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.”
In the declaration, the countries applaud the commitments made by the Palestinian Authority on June 10, notably condemning the October 7 terrorist attacks, calling for the release of hostages and disarming Hamas, committing to ending the prisoner payment system, reforming education, calling for elections within a year, and accepting the principle of a demilitarized Palestinian state.
At the two-day conference convened by France and Saudi Arabia, Portuguese Minister Paulo Rangel had already highlighted some of these commitments made by the Palestinian Authority, which he considered “a new step towards achieving the two-state solution.”
For the Portuguese foreign minister, the Palestinian Authority’s declaration, combined with “a new position of so many states in the region regarding Israel and its right to exist,” marks “a turning point.”
The International Conference for a Two-State Solution in the Middle East concluded on Tuesday with a declaration that unwaveringly supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing war in Gaza.
The “New York Declaration” outlines a phased plan to end the nearly eight-decade-old conflict and the war in Gaza, culminating in an independent and demilitarized Palestine, alongside Israel, and the eventual integration of this country into the Middle East region.
On the last day of the New York Conference, the British Prime Minister announced that the United Kingdom would recognize the State of Palestine in September if Israel does not meet a series of conditions, notably ending the “catastrophic situation in Gaza.”
Decreeing a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave and ensuring no annexation of the West Bank are other conditions mentioned by Keir Starmer.
