Paris Conference Ends with Endorsement of Two-State Solution

The much discussed Paris Middle East Conference ended Sunday with a rather bland statement reaffirming support for a two-state solution, and a call to stop violence and “ongoing settlement activity.” Some 70 countries and international organisations, including the foreign ministers of more than 30 states, attended the conference, which included neither Israeli nor Palestinian participants. According to France24, Israel adamantly opposed the conference, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeating on Sunday that he felt it was “futile” and a relic of an approach to the Middle East that will end on Friday with the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. Kerry, who attended the parley, called Netanyahu from Paris and said the United States will oppose any efforts to codify the Paris declaration into another Security Council resolution. Israeli sources said Kerry called Netanyahu from the conference to brief him on the efforts the US was taking there to soften the language of the final statement. According to the sources, Netanyahu told Kerry that damage had already been done to Israel by the anti-settlement resolution that the US allowed to pass in the Security Council last month, and that no more harm should be allowed to be caused from the Paris summit. Kerry assured Netanyahu that there would be no follow- up to the Paris conference in the Security Council. At the same time, Paris stressed that an agreement of such a compromise should, in fact, be reached by the Israelis and Palestinians themselves.