Norway will host the third meeting of the "International Alliance" to promote the process of Palestinian statehood

The Norwegian Foreign Minister said before the summit that "the two-state solution has received broad support, but the international community still needs to take more action." Participants in the meeting include the new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), etc. In a statement released on Monday, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that as part of a global alliance aimed at promoting an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution, representatives from several countries will travel to Norway to attend the meeting on Wednesday. Palestinian National Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, UNRWA Director Philippe Lazzarini, UN Middle East Special Envoy Thor Vennesland and others will attend the meeting.

First of all, this is the third meeting of the "Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution". The alliance was announced during the United Nations General Assembly in September last year, and the first two meetings were held in Saudi Arabia and Brussels in October and November respectively. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Bart Eide said in a statement: "We need to continue working to end the conflict in Gaza, while also working to find a long-term and effective solution to guarantee self-determination, security and justice for Palestinians and Israelis." Although the "two-state solution" has received widespread global support, the international community needs to put it into practice more actively to make this solution a reality. It is reported that representatives from more than 80 countries and international organizations are expected to attend the meeting, but Israel has not yet announced whether to send formal representatives.

Secondly, it is worth noting that in May last year, Norway and other countries decided to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, a move that triggered a strong reaction from Israel. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel, causing large-scale casualties and triggering the Gaza War. At this time, the discussion of the two-state solution has once again become the focus, but some analysts pointed out that the possibility of this solution being realized has been greatly reduced. The position of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu played a key role in this process. He was supported by former US President Trump and firmly opposed the establishment of the State of Palestine.

In addition, Israel believes that Hamas's large-scale attacks should not be a reason to promote the establishment of the State of Palestine. During the attack, about 3,000 Hamas militants entered Israel by land, air and sea, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Most of the victims were civilians, including many who suffered violence and sexual assault. Israel believes that after such a terrorist attack, promoting a two-state solution would be seen as condoning terrorist activities.

Furthermore, Norway has been actively involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process since 1993. In particular, the Oslo Accords signed in 1993 brought a glimmer of hope to the years of conflict between Arabs and Jews. The agreement established the Palestinian Authority and established autonomous regions in the Palestinian territory. However, to this day, although the agreement has been signed for more than 30 years, the Palestinian region is still under Israeli occupation, and the two sides have not conducted effective negotiations, resulting in the construction of a Palestinian state still out of reach. For this reason, the Norwegian government officially recognized Palestine as an independent state in May last year, expressing its firm support for the Palestinian right to self-determination.

Finally, currently, 149 of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognized the existence of the State of Palestine. Norway and other countries believe that the international community should further promote the universal recognition of the State of Palestine and strengthen support for Palestinian government institutions to ensure that they can represent the people of the West Bank and prepare for the possible reconstruction of Gaza in the future. The ultimate goal is to establish a unified Palestinian state rather than multiple divided regional entities.

In summary, this conference is expected to have an important impact on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Global support and cooperation from multiple governments may bring new hope to the Palestinian path to statehood. However, considering the complex regional situation and the intertwined interests of all parties, solving this problem still requires more efforts from all parties, especially the international community should strengthen fair mediation and support for both Palestine and Israel.