Saudi Foreign Minister Urges Action on Gaza Peace Plan, Palestinian Statehood
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called for the full and immediate implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan on Wednesday, while urging the international community to act against Israeli settlement expansion, settler violence and annexation policies in the occupied West Bank.
He made the remarks at a high-level meeting in New York titled “The Road Ahead: One Year after the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive 20-point Peace Plan for Gaza,” co-chaired by Saudi Arabia, France, the UK and Canada. Prince Faisal said security must be built on mutual interests rather than at the expense of another party, stressing that establishing an independent Palestinian state and ending the Israeli occupation remain essential to regional security and stability. He also called for preserving the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and rejecting violence, hatred and incitement from all sides, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The meeting builds on a diplomatic push Saudi Arabia and France led last year to revive the two-state solution. The two countries co-chaired the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in July 2025, which produced the New York Declaration, an action-oriented roadmap toward Palestinian statehood and broader regional integration. The UN General Assembly endorsed the declaration that September by a vote of 142 to 10, with 12 abstentions, and Saudi Arabia and France reconvened the conference later that month, when 10 countries announced their recognition of the State of Palestine.
Prince Faisal welcomed the steps taken by France, the UK, Canada and a growing number of other countries to recognize Palestine, and urged states that haven’t yet done so to follow suit. He also called for full implementation of the Gaza peace plan, with the ultimate goal of reunifying Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority. The plan, announced by US President Donald Trump last year, envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal, the disarmament of Hamas, postwar reconstruction of Gaza, and transitional governance arrangements that would eventually allow the Palestinian Authority to resume control.
Prince Faisal reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the Arab Peace Initiative, relevant UN resolutions and the New York Declaration.
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