France Brings Israeli and Palestinian Groups Together in Renewed Two-State Initiative

June 12, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

France will host a diplomatic meeting on Friday involving Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups alongside foreign ministers and senior officials from dozens of countries, as international actors seek to maintain momentum around a two-state solution amid continuing regional conflict.

The discussions are taking place a year after the United Nations-backed New York Declaration established a roadmap toward Palestinian statehood, a framework that led to recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, including France, Britain and Canada. That earlier initiative remains part of the diplomatic reference point for the current gathering.

An eight-point “Call for Action” is expected to emerge from the talks and will be submitted to Group of Seven leaders when they meet in the French Alps from Monday. The draft proposals include calls for a permanent ceasefire, reconstruction efforts in Gaza, governance reforms, a halt to settlement expansion and expanded international support for civil society engagement.

A draft plan seen by Reuters highlights concerns over regional fragmentation, describing Gaza as devastated and pointing to continuing insecurity for Israel. It links settlement expansion, settler violence and pressures on the Palestinian Authority to weakening prospects for a viable Palestinian state, and warns that the planned E1 settlement east of Jerusalem could divide the West Bank and sever its connection to East Jerusalem.

Britain, Canada, France and Norway recently announced coordinated sanctions targeting networks accused of financing or enabling violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, a move tied to broader international efforts addressing the conflict environment.

The United States and Israel will not take part in the conference. The Israeli embassy said its ambassador had been invited but would not attend, describing the forum as not contributing to peace and reiterating that Palestinians have previously rejected multiple statehood proposals, including five separate occasions.

A French foreign ministry spokesperson said the gathering comes amid stalled progress on a Gaza ceasefire and what it described as “seemingly endless conflicts, too many civilian casualties and a cycle of violence,” adding that the situation makes the conference “more essential and urgent than ever.”