FES-PASSIA-Roundtable: Prospects of an international peace conference

Following the presentation of the initiative by the French Consul Hervé Magro, Joanne Barrett, chief of the office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) and Nasser Qudwa, member of the PLO central council, discussed the current political situation and gave their assessment of such an international peace conference.

The timely topic attracted many high-ranking politicians and diplomats, including ambassadors, Fatah officials and representatives of the Palestinian civil society. The discussion focused on the recognition of Palestine as a state and the necessity to negotiate multilaterally. The speakers and the audience agreed that there is no status quo on the ground; settlements continue to be built and the number of house demolitions shows no sign of abating. In order to keep the two-state solution alive, the conflicting parties need to discover an exit door from the current deadlocked situation. An international peace conference could pave such a way.