POST-WAR STATEHOOD
As the Gaza war has roiled the region and its human toll has sparked international outrage, political momentum has built in the search for a post-war solution to the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
European and Arab foreign ministers met in the Saudi capital on Monday to discuss how to join forces on advancing a two-state solution.
To provide Israel with an incentive, Washington has pushed the prospect of normalised relations with Gulf kingpin Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh has demanded “irreversible” steps towards Palestinian statehood, which Netanyahu and many members of his hard-right government oppose.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he expected several European governments to announce their recognition of a Palestinian state within the next month, including Belgium, Ireland, Malta, Slovenia and Spain.
The UN’s International Court of Justice on Tuesday threw out Nicaragua’s request for emergency measures to stop Germany sending military supplies to Israel over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention.
In a pending ICJ procedure, South Africa accused Israel of perpetuating genocide in Gaza.
China meanwhile said that rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah had met in Beijing recently for “talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation”.
Hamas seized sole control of Gaza in 2007, while Fatah maintains partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank through the Palestinian Authority.
