Trump Administration Pressures Nations to Boycott UN Conference on Palestinian Statehood
U.S. warns of diplomatic consequences as France and Saudi Arabia prepare to lead major UN meeting on two-state solution and Gaza crisis.
Watan-A diplomatic cable obtained by Reuters revealed that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring governments worldwide not to attend a United Nations conference scheduled for next week in New York regarding the two-state solution and the Palestinian issue. The upcoming conference on June 17 is jointly chaired by Saudi Arabia and France and is expected to gather numerous countries to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state and steps to halt the genocide in Gaza.
The cable, dated June 10, states that countries taking “anti-Israel actions” following the conference will be considered in violation of U.S. foreign policy interests and may face diplomatic consequences from Washington. The cable also asserts that the U.S. will oppose any unilateral recognition of a prospective Palestinian state.
French President Emmanuel Macron had previously announced in April that Paris might recognize the State of Palestine during the upcoming New York conference. In an interview with France 5 at the time, Macron stated: “We must move toward recognition, and we will do so in the coming months,” adding, “Our goal is to co-chair this conference with Saudi Arabia in June, where we can achieve mutual recognition (of the State of Palestine) with several parties.”
Back in December, during a visit to Saudi Arabia, Macron declared that Paris and Riyadh would jointly lead a June 2025 conference on the establishment of a Palestinian state. Speaking to journalists, Macron said: “We decided to co-chair a conference on the two-state solution next June,” noting that both countries would work over the coming months to “intensify and unify our diplomatic initiatives to draw the world into this path.”
Later, in May, Macron reiterated that recognizing the State of Palestine is not “just a moral obligation, but a political necessity,” outlining specific conditions for doing so. In a press conference in Singapore, he emphasized the need for Europeans to “tighten their collective stance” toward Israel “if it does not respond adequately to the humanitarian situation” in Gaza.
