Israel/ Palestinian Territories – Middle East peace conference (January 15, 2017)
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault hosted an international conference on Middle East peace on January 15 in Paris, bringing together 70 countries and international organizations. President Hollande delivered a speech at the conference.
This conference is part of the Middle East peace initiative launched by France at the meeting on June 3, 2016.
It provided an opportunity to solemnly reaffirm the international community’s commitment to the two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, the only way to guarantee lasting peace. The participants reaffirmed the urgent need to preserve this solution, the viability of which is threatened by continued settlement activity and violence.
The participants took stock of the work initiated since the ministerial meeting on June 3, 2016, focusing on three questions: What economic incentives can be provided to the two parties, how can the capacity of the future Palestinian state be strengthened and how can we support the resumption of dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian civil societies?
This conference is aimed at establishing an environment conducive to the resumption of bilateral and direct negotiations between the parties by lending tangible support to their efforts to promote peace.