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- US State Department labeled three-day event “unproductive and ill-timed”
NEW YORK: The US on Monday dismissed a French-Saudi-sponsored conference at the United Nations on promoting a two-state solution to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis as a “stunt.”
The US State Department labeled the three-day event “unproductive and ill-timed,” as well as a “publicity stunt” that would make finding peace harder.
The diplomatic push is a “reward for terrorism,” the statement said, also calling the promise to recognize a Palestinian state by French President Emmanuel Macron “counterproductive.”
In the statement from spokesperson Tammy Bruce, the State Department added that the conference “far from promoting peace,” would “prolong the war, embolden Hamas, and reward its obstruction and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace.”
Bruce continued: “As Secretary Rubio has made clear, this effort is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th and a reward for terrorism. It keeps hostages trapped in tunnels.
“The United States will not participate in this insult but will continue to lead real-world efforts to end the fighting and deliver a permanent peace. Our focus remains on serious diplomacy, not stage-managed conferences designed to manufacture the appearance of relevance.”
The statement said President Macron’s announcement about recognizing a Palestinian state was “welcomed by Hamas,” while encouraging its “obstruction of a ceasefire,” and greatly undercut US diplomatic efforts to “end the suffering in Gaza, free the hostages, and move the whole Middle East towards a brighter and more prosperous future.”
* With AFP