More than 40 countries attended consultative meeting called for by Palestine in New York

Representatives of more than 40 countries, including the member states of the United Nations Security Council and members of regional and international organizations as well as special envoys to the Middle East peace process, attended on Wednesday a consultative meeting in New York called for by the State of Palestine on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting focused on the ways and means of protecting the two-state solution and defending international law and order.

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saeb Erekat, spoke at the meeting on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas on the main obstacles facing the peace process, namely the Israeli colonial regime and the practices and crimes of Israel, the Occupying Power, primarily the crime of settlements.

Erekat said that the State of Palestine has never been reluctant to engage in any meaningful negotiating process, but there was a clear absence of any partner on the opposite side, which is perpetrating crimes against the Palestinian people armed with impunity from the current US administration, which encourages these crimes.

Erekat re-emphasized the importance of President Abbas' peace initiative which he launched in February at the Security Council and which made clear reference to the need to establish a multilateral international mechanism to launch a meaningful political process and negotiations with a clear timetable with international guarantees and the terms of reference.

Foreign Minister Riyad Malki also spoke at the meeting about the importance of putting the political process back on track through collective efforts and international action with the aim of protecting the two-state solution, which is based on international terms of reference, United Nations resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and on President Abbas’ initiative.

During the meeting, foreign ministers and representatives of international organizations made interventions stressing the importance of the two-state solution and the necessity of preserving it, the importance of the multilateral track and international decisions.

Malki held a press conference at the conclusion of the meeting in which he spoke about the constructive and positive discussions held at the meeting that came as the Palestinian-Israeli peace process is facing a deadlock and the two-state solution is in danger of vanishing due to actions by the Israeli right-wing government backed by the current US administration.