| Paris, September 25, 2025 – On Monday, September 22, a historic roundtable discussion was held at the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations, between Israeli and Palestinian civil society leaders. Organized by the Paris Peace Forum, in collaboration with the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), this meeting took place ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, during which the State of Palestine was officially recognized by France, Belgium, Andorra, Malta, Luxembourg, Monaco, and San Marino. The discussions and exchanges were moderated by our founder and director general Justin Vaïsse, and took place in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, six French MPs (Bruno Fuchs, Roland Lescure, Eleonore Caroit, Richard Ramos, Pierre-Alexandre Anglade, Gisèle Jourda), and Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers. Families of hostages, humanitarian workers, and local peacemakers led the discussions. ALLMEP’s Dr. Natali Levin-Shwartz and Wasim Almasri presented a recent Al Pulse poll showing that the majority of Israeli, Palestinian, and American citizens – including MAGA voters – support the vision of a multilateral process toward a two-state solution. Other ALLMEP members and civil society leaders emphasized the urgency of the current situation:Land for All: Two States, One Homeland’s May Pundak presented a petition signed by 10,000 Israelis who support the recognition of the State of Palestine; Women Wage Peace’s Orna Shragai presented the Mothers’ Call, an appeal for peace, freedom, equality, rights and security for future generations; New Story Leadership for the Middle East’s Rawan Odeh advocated for the integration of young people into this process;Yehuda Cohen, father of Israeli hostage Nimrod Cohen, called for a bold action to free the hostages and end the war; Dr. Nada Al Hadithy, a surgeon from Nasser Hospital in Gaza, testified about the humanitarian disaster and current atrocities on the ground. |
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| The dialogue marked a milestone in the launch of a genuine multilateral process within the framework of the two-state solution and highlighted the integral role of civil society actors in this process. “Today is not just a recognition: we’re triggering action; we want increased civil society pressure in Israel and the US”, declared Emmanuel Macron during the discussions. In total, in just two days, 11 Western countries joined the 147 states that already recognize the State of Palestine, representing the vast majority of the 193 UN members. This momentum was embodied by the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution at the United Nations headquarters on September 22, in direct continuation of the Paris Call for the Two-State Solution, launched on June 13 at a historic civil society conference convened by the Forum. That gathering, the first of its kind since the attacks of October 7, brought together 300 Israeli and Palestinian leaders and 200 regional and international personalities. It produced the Call, formally handed to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and presented to President Macron at the Élysée Palace, which urged immediate recognition of Palestine, a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, and humanitarian access to Gaza. While the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire and innocent victims continue to die, this meeting served as a reminder that dialogue is a means of shaping diplomacy. Moving from words to action, the Paris Peace Forum will continue to amplify the voice of civil society and support the political momentum for a just and lasting peace in the region. |
