Finland said on Friday, it will join an international declaration urging the implementation of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding its weight to a diplomatic effort led by Saudi Arabia and France at the United Nations. The declaration, unveiled at a UN conference in July hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, outlines “tangible, timebound and irreversible steps” toward ending the war in Gaza and creating conditions for a two-state framework. “The process led by France and Saudi Arabia is the most significant international effort in years to create the conditions for

Finland said on Friday, it will join an international declaration urging the implementation of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding its weight to a diplomatic effort led by Saudi Arabia and France at the United Nations. The declaration, unveiled at a UN conference in July hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, outlines “tangible, timebound and irreversible steps” toward ending the war in Gaza and creating conditions for a two-state framework. “The process led by France and Saudi Arabia is the most significant international effort in years to create the conditions for a two-state solution,” Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on X. Times of Israel report that Valtonen told reporters Finland remained committed to recognizing Palestinian statehood “at some point in the future,” but did not indicate a timeline. The issue has divided Finland’s right-wing coalition, with the far-right Finns Party and the Christian Democrats opposed to recognition. Several European nations, including Spain and Norway, have formally recognized a Palestinian state since the outbreak of the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel. Israel and its main ally, the US, have condemned such moves, saying they risk rewarding Hamas and encouraging further violence. In response, Israeli leaders are weighing measures of their own. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering applying Israeli sovereignty to parts of the occupied West Bank, according to Hebrew media reports. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure in Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, this week unveiled a proposal to annex 82% of the West Bank, the clearest sign yet of mounting momentum inside the government to formalize Israeli control over the territory. Smotrich and other annexation advocates argue that the international push for Palestinian recognition has created a historic opening to advance their agenda, despite repeated warnings from global powers that such a move would further destabilize the region.  

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