France24, Jan. 15, 2017 – More than 70 foreign ministers and envoys gather Sunday in Paris to call for a Palestinian state. But this Mideast peace conference will take place without participation from Israelis, Palestinians or the incoming US government.
It seems like a long shot to try to restart a beleaguered Middle East peace process without any of the key players.
But French organizers say that moving forward sends a message. They want both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President-elect Donald Trump to see that most of the world wants a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The talks are aimed, in part, at presenting Trump with a collective international push for peace once he takes office Friday. French diplomats fear that Trump will unleash new tensions in the region by condoning settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians and potentially moving the US embassy to contested Jerusalem.
With chances for a Mideast peace deal lower than in years, French President François Hollande figures there’s nothing to lose.
According to a draft statement obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the conference will urge Israel and the Palestinians “to officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution”. It also will affirm that the international community “will not recognize” changes to Israel’s pre-1967 lines without an agreement by both sides.
The Palestinians have welcomed the French initiative and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas was initially expected to attend, although his visit to Paris has been postponed. But Netanyahu says the conference is “rigged” against Israel and declined an invitation to a special meeting afterward.
Days before leaving office, US Secretary of State John Kerry will headline the Paris event. But even he is likely participating only to reaffirm America’s support for a two-state solution.
With Netanyahu snubbing the conference and Trump’s administration “reserved” about it, according to a French diplomat, Sunday’s gathering could be seen as an effort to isolate Israel.

French President Francois Hollande played down prospects for a breakthrough at a Middle East peace conference Sunday when he addressed diplomats at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Thursday