The Saudi-French-led resolution calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict received overwhelming support from the UN General Assembly last Friday, with 142 countries voting in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstaining, Reuters reports. The resolution — outlining “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” — comes ahead of world leaders meeting on 22 September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, during which France, Canada, Australia, Belgium, and the UK are expected to recognize the state of Palestine.

REMEMBER- The Kingdom and France co-hosted a UN ministerial conference in New York back inJuly. The gathering — which was backed by 125 countries, including 50 ministries — aimed to map out steps toward the creation of a Palestinian state and a long-term resolution to the conflict, despite the absence of Israel and the US.

ALSO- Quad nations call for a humanitarian truce in Sudan: The Kingdom, Egypt, the US, and the UAE called for a humanitarian truce for an initial three months in Sudan to be followed by a permanent ceasefire and a nine-month transitional period for the establishment of a civilian-led government, they said in a joint statement on Friday. They also called for ending external military support for the warring parties and agreed to follow up on the implementation of the timelines.

The status-quo: The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) recently formed a parallel government, which swore in leadership last year, with most of the Darfur region serving as its base. The RSF is in combat with the Sudanese army for Al Fashir, the Darfur region’s historical capital, imposing a siege that caused hunger throughout the city.

What’s next? Uncertainty persists whether the warring parties will agree to the proposal or not, as a previous UN call for a ceasefire in June was accepted by the Sudanese army but rejected by the RSF.

IN OTHER DIPLO NEWS-

  • The Kingdom + Poland deepen investment ties: The Kingdom and Poland signed and exchanged a framework cooperation program during the Saudi-Polish Investment Forum in Warsaw on Thursday to strengthen investment relations, state news agency SPA reported.
  • The Kingdom + Estonia seal cooperation agreement: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and his Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna signed a general cooperation agreement in Riyadh to promote collaboration between the two countries across economic, investment, educational, and technological sectors, including communications, green technology, petroleum, agriculture, and healthcare, the ministry said on X on Wednesday.
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