Norway to host talks on Mideast two-state solution

Representatives of more than 80 countries, organisations are expected to take part

By AFP - Jan 13,2025 - Last updated at Jan 13,2025

This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising from explosions above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip on January 13, 2025 amid the ongoing Israeli war of aggression against the Palestinian territory (AFP photo)

OSLO — Dozens of countries will send delegates to Norway on Wednesday as part of a global alliance aiming to find a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Norway's foreign ministry said on Monday.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini, and UN envoy to the Middle East Tor Wennesland are among those due to attend.

It will be the third meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, whose creation was announced in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"While we must continue to work for an end to the war (in Gaza), we must also work for a lasting solution to the conflict that guarantees self-determination, security and justice for both the Palestinians and the Israelis," Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

"There is broad support for a two-state solution, but the international community must do more to make it a reality."

Representatives of more than 80 countries and organisations are expected to take part in the meeting, though no official Israeli delegation has been announced.

Israel was angered when several countries, including Norway, decided to recognise the Palestinian state.

The first two meetings of the global alliance were held in Saudia Arabia in late October and in Brussels in late November.