AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned that Israel will continue undermining prospects for peace unless it faces effective international action that turns international support for the two-state solution into "concrete and deterrent action”.

 

Speaking at a meeting marking one year since the New York Declaration Conference, co-organised by Saudi Arabia, France, Britain and Canada, Safadi said that as the international community works towards a just peace, the Israeli government continues to undermine the two-state solution through illegal measures.

 

Safadi said that Israel continues to disregard the majority of countries supporting the two-state solution because it faces no accountability or "deterrent" measures for its violations, according to a ministry statement.

 

Safadi praised countries that have recognised the Palestinian state and called for stronger and broader action to stop settlement expansion, land confiscations and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan opened the meeting, which was attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and brought together heads of state and representatives from 29 countries, along with the EU.

 

Also on Wednesday, Safadi said that Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip face various forms of hardship, with their lives and dreams remaining “hostage”.

 

Safadi made the remarks during a meeting of the “Call to Action for Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip” initiative, which he co-chaired with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation Maxime Prévot and European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

 

Safadi said that Palestinian children are suffering in Israeli prisons without fair trials, while targeted killings, starvation and restrictions on their right to attend school and play continue, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

 

He also warned about the conditions Palestinian children will face as winter rains and strong winds set in, stressing the need for swift action to end their suffering.

 

Safadi said His Majesty King Abdullah highlighted the situation of Palestinian children in his UN General Assembly speech, stressing the need to act under international law to address injustice and persecution.

 

He said that around two million people in Gaza are living in desperate conditions, with mothers unable to feed their children and children facing cold nights as winter approaches.

 

Safadi said that a plan by US President Donald Trump to stabilise Gaza was approved last year, stressing that it should now be implemented.

 

He stressed that the future of Palestinian children must not remain hostage to the Israeli government and its “expansionist and racist policies”, calling for aid piling up and expiring on shelves in Amman to be allowed into Gaza.

 

Safadi added that the UN has repeatedly sought to carry out its humanitarian work but faces major risks that prevent it from doing so, stressing that this is the reality that must be addressed.