New york: The Two-State Solution Conference held in New York affirmed the agreement to take concrete, time-bound steps to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and implement the two-state solution.

According to National News Agency – Lebanon, the New York Declaration, issued at the conclusion of the High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held in New York City under the joint chairmanship of Saudi Arabia and France, emphasized the need for collective action to end the war in Gaza, ensure Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and hand it over to the Palestinian Authority “based on the principle of one government, one law, one gun.”

It emphasized that war, occupation, and forced displacement will not achieve peace or security, and that only a political solution can achieve that. It emphasized that ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and implementing the two-state solution is the only way to fulfill legitimate aspirations, in accordance with international law.

The New York Declaration emphasized that Gaza is an integral part of the Palestinian state and must be unified with the West Bank, and that there must be no occupation, blockade, territorial constriction, or forced displacement.

It said that following a ceasefire, a transitional administrative committee must be established immediately to operate in Gaza under the umbrella of the Palestinian National Authority.

The New York Declaration emphasized the commitment to supporting the Palestinian government and Palestinian security forces through funding programs from regional and international partners.

It called on Israel to issue a clear and public commitment to a two-state solution, including a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, to immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, to cease all colonial activity, land seizure, and annexation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, to publicly abandon any annexation projects or colonial policies, and to end colonists’ violence.

The declaration affirmed its commitment to mobilizing political and financial support for the Palestinian Authority to help it strengthen its institutional capacities, implement its reform program, and assume its responsibilities throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. It also called for the removal of restrictions on movement and access, the immediate release of withheld Palestinian tax revenues, and the establishment of a new framework for the transfer of clearance revenues that would lead to full Palestinian control over the tax system, as well as the full integration of Palestine into the international monetary and financial system and the guarantee of sustainable, long-term banking relations.

It called for the preservation of the legal and historical status quo at the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and a commitment to adopting restrictive measures against violent extremist settlers and entities and individuals who support illegal settlements, in accordance with international law.

The New York Declaration affirmed that coexistence and normal relations between the peoples and states of the region can only be achieved through an end to the occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.