Foreign ministers and representatives described the situation as the “most severe phase in decades” at the Antalya Ministerial Meeting on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and Lasting Peace in the Middle East.
In a joint statement, the participants said decades of negotiations and intermittent conflict had failed to resolve the crisis. The current political deadlock and deepening humanitarian crisis push the region toward further escalation.
“Despite decades-long discussions between the conflicting parties and international engagement, the two-state solution—widely recognized as the only viable resolution—has been disregarded,” the statement read.
The diplomats stressed that the ongoing Israeli genocide continues to breed cycles of violence and instability, urging all sides to re-engage in serious, good-faith negotiations.
They also called on the international community to take responsibility for supporting a just and lasting political solution, including an end to occupation and hostilities.
The meeting was held as part of the three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which was themed “Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World.”
Foreign ministers and representatives from the Arab League’s Gaza Ministerial Committee, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and countries such as Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, China, and Russia were among those present.
Calls for Gaza ceasefire
On 2 March, Israel reinforced its deadly blockade on Gaza, barring the entry of all nutritional, medical, and humanitarian aid.
On 18 March, Israel unilaterally ruptured the ceasefire agreement with Hamas — brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US — and resumed its genocidal war on the strip.
At least 1,391 Palestinians have been killed since then, raising the death toll since 7 October 2023 to over 50,750 — most of them women and children.
Condemning violence, demanding accountability
The participants condemned the resumption of genocide in Gaza and called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in line with UN resolutions and previous agreements.
Moreover, they expressed deep concern over the recent developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), condemning the indiscriminate Israeli strikes, the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, and mass casualties among Palestinians in Gaza.
They further called for the unification of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, under the Palestinian Authority (PA).
“Forcing people out of Gaza by making Gaza unliveable is not voluntary migration—it is forced displacement, which we categorically reject,” the statement said.
Participants also demanded full respect for international law and humanitarian law, the immediate restoration of basic services in Gaza, and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid.
West Bank, Jerusalem, and legal obligations
Turning to the occupied West Bank, the statement condemned Israeli policies, including settlement expansion, home demolitions, land seizures, infrastructure destruction, military raids, and efforts to annex parts of the OPT.
Ministers also stressed the preservation of the historical and legal status quo of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under Hashemite custodianship.
They called for accountability for violations that undermine peace efforts.
They urged the adoption of irreversible, time-bound steps to implement the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and relevant UN resolutions.
Panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum titled ‘Gaza Contact Group: Ideas on the Future of Gaza/Palestine.’ Photo by Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
Humanitarian crisis and support for UNRWA
Amid worsening conditions in Gaza, the diplomats rejected the politicization of aid and the use of humanitarian assistance as a weapon of war.
They demanded that aid deliveries be allowed via land, air, and sea without restriction.
“No justification can be accepted for starving the Palestinian people in Gaza and depriving them of basic humanitarian aid,” the statement declared.
They reaffirmed support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), describing it as “indispensable and irreplaceable,” and stressed that no viable alternative exists to the agency’s mandate from the UN General Assembly.
Support for reconstruction and future peace conference
The Antalya meeting endorsed the Cairo conference on Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction, held in coordination with the UN and international donors.
The Arab-Islamic plan for the reconstruction of Gaza — prepared by Egypt — was endorsed by the Arab League and the OIC and received broad international support.
The statement also welcomed the upcoming High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, set to take place in New York this June.
Saudi Arabia and France co-chaired the conference, which aimed to establish concrete, time-bound commitments toward ending the occupation and realizing the two-state solution.
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