Full UN membership, end to Israeli occupation a must for 2-state solution: Palestinian premier

By Aysar Al-Ayas

ISTANBUL (AA) – Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Friday that the two-state solution requires an end to the Israeli occupation, more countries recognizing Palestine as a state, and full UN membership.

The Palestinian premier made his statement during a speech in the Spanish capital of Madrid before the Arab-Islamic Contact Group on Gaza, which was formed by member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League (AL), according to a statement issued by his office.

He stressed the necessity to mobilize the international community "to pass practical steps to implement the two-state solution."

Mustafa also stressed the importance of working "to end the occupation (Israeli forces) aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem."

The contact group was formed in November at an OIC and AL joint summit in Saudi Arabia to put an end to the conflict in Gaza and contribute to long-term peace efforts. It includes representatives from Türkiye, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine.

Palestine applied for full membership in the UN in 2011, but the Security Council did not provide the necessary support. Later in 2012, Palestine was granted "permanent observer status."

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,100 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar