New York [US], September 23 (ANI): Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other world leaders called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during a high-level meeting at the United Nations on creating conditions for lasting peace.
The event, titled “The Road Ahead”, was hosted by Canada, France, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom and focused on the two-state solution and the comprehensive peace plan for Gaza.
In a post on X, Carney said Canada’s support for a two-state solution was “longstanding and resolute”.
Canada’s support for a two-state solution is longstanding and resolute.
Today, alongside the United Kingdom, France, and Saudi Arabia, we brought partners together at the UN to discuss how we can create the conditions for a lasting peace — where Israelis and Palestinians can… pic.twitter.com/ZZTIhcoqLS
“Today, alongside the United Kingdom, France, and Saudi Arabia, we brought partners together at the UN to discuss how we can create the conditions for a lasting peace -- where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in safety and dignity,” Carney said.
The United Kingdom, France and Canada formally announced their recognition of the State of Palestine in September 2025 during a coordinated international push at the United Nations.
Guterres said the two-state solution remained the only credible path to lasting peace and security for Palestinians, Israelis and the wider region.
In a post on X, Guterres said, “The two-State solution is the only credible path to lasting peace & security for Palestinians, Israelis & the wider region."
The two-State solution is the only credible path to lasting peace & security for Palestinians, Israelis & the wider region.
The objective is clear: two independent, sovereign & democratic States, Israel & Palestine, living side by side in peace & security.
There is simply no… pic.twitter.com/P0iegbCUIv
“The objective is clear: two independent, sovereign & democratic States, Israel & Palestine, living side by side in peace & security. There is simply no alternative,” Guterres said.
Speaking at the meeting, Guterres said that while world leaders had expressed support for the two-state solution, that support needed to translate into action.
“For Palestinians and all those who care about peace in the Middle East, support for two States must go beyond words,” he said.
The UN chief said the two-state solution, based on pre-1967 lines, international law, relevant Security Council resolutions and prior agreements, was the only credible path to lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians and remained central to broader regional stability.
European Council President Antonio Costa, in his remarks at the meeting, said that hopes generated by international efforts over the past year had not translated into sufficient improvement on the ground.
“Last year, when 142 states endorsed the New York Declaration on the Two-State Solution and the UN Security Council Resolution 2803 gave the Gaza Peace Plan an operative framework, there was hope,” Costa said.
“One year later, the situation on the ground has barely improved,” he added.
Costa called for the full implementation of the roadmap for Gaza, including “the decommissioning of Hamas matched by Israel’s withdrawal”, the deployment of the International Stabilisation Force and police, and the entry into Gaza of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
“Winter is coming, and two million people face another winter in tents and rubble. Not because of a lack of money or aid, but because access remains blocked,” he said.
On the West Bank, Costa said the two-state solution was “being jeopardised on a daily basis”, citing settler violence, impunity, displacement of communities and what he described as de facto annexation.
“These settlements are illegal under international law,” he said.
Costa also said the European Union supported efforts to empower the Palestinian Authority through elections and called on Israel to facilitate them.
“The European Union and its member states are strong supporters of the Two-State solution, through the Global Alliance,” he said, adding that the bloc was the largest donor to Palestinians since the 1990s.
Costa said EU civilian missions EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS continued to operate and that the EU was ready to scale them up.
“Only the Two-State Solution can lead to a just and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign, and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition, and with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states,” he said.
“Action is required to preserve the two-State solution and the path to peace,” Costa added.
During his address at the 81st UNGA session, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also urged efforts towards a two-state solution, saying his government would do all it could to see Israelis and Palestinians “living side by side in peace and security”, Al Jazeera reported.
“We stand with Israel in the face of the ongoing threats, including from Iran,” Burnham said. “But this does not justify the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.”
“We will not stand by as the horrific suffering continues to grow,” he added, warning that “the prospect of a two-state solution, the best hope for peace and stability, comes under attack”.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron, while addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, said that the situation in Gaza is “shameful”, while questioning the international community’s response to the crisis.
Speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Macron said, “What is our credibility worth if we remain inactive on Gaza? Some claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened up humanitarian deliveries. The spectacle, it is shameful.”
According to the UN, the meeting built on the September 2025 adoption of the New York Declaration, under which world leaders pledged to end the war that erupted in 2023 following Hamas attacks on Israel and which resulted in widespread destruction across Gaza and more than 70,000 Palestinians being killed.
The UN said the Security Council later endorsed a ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025, as well as US President Donald Trump’s 20-point provisional deal that established a Board of Peace under his leadership. (ANI)
