French President Emmanuel Macron is spearheading the drive on recognising a Palestinian state as international condemnation grows of Israel over its nearly two-year offensive in Gaza.
Speaking to journalists late Monday, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden said that “the situation on the ground has deteriorated considerably in recent months”.”A movement is now emerging in Europe and around the world to demonstrate that the two-state solution is still relevant,” Frieden said.
“That is why the Luxembourg government intends to join those who recognise the State of Palestine at next week’s conference on the two-state solution.”
Countries including Britain, Australia, Canada and Belgium have said they plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the meeting at the UN General Assembly. Israel and its ally the United States have blasted the push, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Monday the move “emboldened” Hamas. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 64,905 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
UN investigators on Tuesday accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza in a bid to “destroy the Palestinians”, blaming Israel’s prime minister and other top officials for incitement.
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