France says situation in Gaza remains ‘tragic,’ stresses need for 2-state solution

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday highlighted the “tragic” situation in Gaza and renewed a call for the two-state solution in the region.

During the “Paris Call for the Two-State Solution” forum, Barrot noted that the situation in Gaza and the region remains “tragic” despite the ceasefire.

“It is the unbearable humanitarian catastrophe in which Gaza remains engulfed. (…) It is the unbearable situation in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, where the violence of radical settlers, calls for annexation, forced displacements, and violations of the status quo at holy sites are reducing, day by day, the prospect of peace,” Barrot said.

He said the war on Iran is adding to the already tense situation in the region, adding that the people of Lebanon and Iran were “caught between … wars they did not choose.”

“In these circumstances, we could find every reason in the world to give up. But you are here, and your testimonies alone are reasons for hope and reasons for action,” Barrot said.

He further noted that this year could be decisive, with Israel expected to hold legislative elections and Palestine expected to hold legislative and presidential elections.

“I say to those who doubt that the time has come: elections in Palestine must not be an endpoint. They are a starting point, a moment of essential democratic expression so that the Palestinian Authority can fully assume its responsibilities,” Barrot underscored.

He further vowed to continue work for advancing the vision for two peoples, two states, “recognized and respected in their rights, living side by side in peace and security.”

Barrot stressed that repairing the world and mending the “imperfect universe in which we live” requires bold and prepared minds.

“Peace will be born neither from humiliation nor from the denial of the other’s right to existence or security, but from a demanding path made of courageous compromises and absolute steadfastness on human dignity. It is this narrow path that alone can lead to peace in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv, or in Ramallah,” he further said.