Referring to the issue as a "central question for peace," Antonio Guterres told the United Nations Security Council that a two-state solution, the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, was nearing "a point of no return."

After more than 18 months of war, Guterres said, "the humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip has gone from bad... to worse... to beyond imagination."

But the "world cannot afford to watch the two-state solution disappear," he said, and called on member nations to take "irreversible action" to implement such a peace.

"In this period of turmoil and transition for the region, member states must spell out how they will realize the commitment and promise of a two-state solution," Guterres said.

He also emphasized the importance of an international conference on the topic organized by the UN General Assembly in June, to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his country's goal was "to advance the recognition of Palestine and the normalization of relations with Israel, at the same time."

Nearly 150 countries recognize the Palestinian state, but the two-state solution remains rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 52,365 people, most of them women and children, with more than 118,000 others injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry's latest figures.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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