The Trump administration plans to boycott a high-level summit on Palestinian statehood, jointly sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, scheduled for Monday at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
The event was originally slated for June with French President Emmanuel Macron present, but it was postponed due to the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. Representatives from over 50 nations are anticipated to deliver speeches at the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, with dozens more countries listed as participants.
that a U.S. diplomatic message had advised governments to avoid the “unproductive” U.N. gathering, which Washington portrayed as an impediment to efforts to halt the conflict in Gaza.
“The inability to dissuade the French and Saudis from creating this new impediment to peace is an affront to President Trump,” Anne Bayefsky, who serves as president of Human Rights Voices and director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, told Digital.
“U.S. taxpayers are covering one-fourth of the expenses for this U.N. travesty, where those advocating for war masquerade as peace advocates. Why do we continue to pay U.N. costs?”
Bayefsky further stated, “This most recent U.N. gathering epitomizes the culture of rejectionism: forcing a Palestinian state upon Israel, without discussions and without Palestinian recognition of the Jewish state. It presumptuously claims the authority to determine land ownership and what constitutes legality or illegality.
“Following October 7, and acknowledging that the Palestinian Authority acts as Hamas’s accomplice internationally, it is regrettably evident that an armed Palestinian state would lead to more conflict, not tranquility,” she asserted.
During a Sunday interview with, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that “the possibility of a Palestinian state has never been more imperiled—nor more essential.”
“[It is] jeopardized by the devastation of the Gaza Strip, unchecked Israeli settlement growth in the West Bank which erodes the concept of territorial contiguity, and the international community’s acquiescence,” he elaborated.
“[It is] vital, because anticipating a durable ceasefire, the release of hostages held by Hamas, and their capitulation without initially defining a political outlook is an unreality,” he added.
The event on Monday occurs amidst Macron’s choice to recognize a Palestinian state. The official announcement is slated for the U.N. General Assembly in September.
President promptly rejected the action, contending that Macron’s declaration “holds no significance.”
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel ridiculed Paris’ choice through several social media posts. Huckabee remarked, “How astute! If Macron can simply ‘declare’ a state into being, perhaps the U.K. can ‘declare’ France a British colony!”
In May, suggested, “If France is truly so resolved to see a Palestinian state, I have a proposition for them—allocate a portion of the French Riviera.”
Israeli Prime Minister released a statement denouncing Paris’ action “to acknowledge a Palestinian state adjacent to Tel Aviv following the Oct. 7 massacre.”
Prominent European countries have not yet endorsed Macron’s proposal, with Italian Prime Minister asserting on Saturday that recognizing a Palestinian state was premature.
“I strongly support the State of Palestine, but I do not favor recognizing it before it is established,” Meloni commented. “If something non-existent is acknowledged on paper, the issue might seem resolved when it truly isn’t.”
A spokesperson for the German government stated on Friday that “Israel’s security holds supreme importance,” and consequently, Berlin “does not intend to recognize a Palestinian state in the near future.”
In a video message on Friday, U.K. Prime Minister indicated he is “developing a route to peace in the region centered on practical remedies that will genuinely improve the lives of those enduring this conflict.”
Conversely, Turkey, a NATO member and U.S. ally, expressed approval of the French action, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Macron in a phone conversation between the two leaders.
Avi Pazner, previously the Israeli ambassador to France and Italy, informed Digital that Macron’s decision has “no logical rationale,” given that its “impracticability” is widely understood.
Pazner proposed that Macron might be trying to build rapport with France’s substantial Muslim and Arab minority populations, which are estimated by some to constitute 8% to 10% of the nation.
Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former State Department negotiator under both Democratic and Republican administrations, conveyed to Digital that Trump possesses his distinct aims and perspectives concerning the matter of Palestinian statehood.
He further elaborated, “Previous administrations held the view that a unilateral declaration of statehood would prejudge and compromise the prerequisite conditions for negotiations. If France acknowledges a Palestinian state, what would its boundaries be? What would occur with Jerusalem? What about the Jordan Valley? Would land exchanges offset territory considered vital for Israel’s security? Prematurely proclaiming statehood predetermines the negotiation results, and that was the stance adopted by these administrations.”
The conference, sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, is anticipated to continue until Tuesday.