UN summit not likely to bring a turning point for Palestinians

UN summit on a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel - postponed by the Israel-Iran war - has been rescheduled for 28 and 29 July, but it is not expected that the French president, Emmanuel Macron, will attend, making it less likely that it will trigger a series of high-profile announcements on recognition of a Palestinian state.

- Patrick Wintour

Macron has been trying to build momentum for recognition of a state of Palestine by a wide group of countries, but the lack of movement in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel is making decisions complex.

Israel and the US both oppose recognition of a Palestinian state, and have been advising UN delegations not to attend the UN conference in New York. Israel has said that recognition would be seen as a reward for Hamas terrorism.

The conference has working parties designed to ease the path to a two-state solution, including plans for future Palestinian governance, economic renewal and challenging the narratives of hate.

French sources insisted decisions on recognition had not been made, and a subsequent event in Paris would provide the platform.

Recognition was discussed last week at the Anglo-French summit, where Macron made two public appeals without setting a timetable.

He called for recognition in his speech to UK parliamentarians and in his closing press conference. "With Gaza in ruin and the West Bank being attacked on a daily basis, the perspective of a Palestinian state has never been put at risk as it is," he told MPs.