Guterres: Two-State Solution Vital; Palestinian Statehood a Right, Not a Privilege

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly advocated for a two-state solution as the key to resolving the longstanding conflict between Israel and Gaza. Addressing the UN member states, Guterres made it clear that Palestinian statehood is a right, not something that should be used as leverage. He highlighted the breakdown in dialogue and the repeated failures to adhere to resolutions. The Secretary-General reiterated the UN’s stance on the two-state framework: two sovereign and democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully and securely alongside each other within agreed borders based on the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, as defined by international law and UN resolutions. He warned that denying Palestinian statehood would only embolden extremists. Guterres also called for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access, strongly condemning the October 7th attacks by Hamas, the taking of hostages, the collective punishment of Palestinians, and any form of ethnic cleansing.