Finland joins declaration on two-state solution between Israel, Palestinians

Finland is joining the French-Saudi New York declaration on a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian question and implementation of a two-state solution, the Nordic country said on Friday.

Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium have all said they will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London could halt the process if Israel eased the humanitarian crisis in war-shattered Gaza and committed to a long-term peace process.

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The moves are designed to put pressure on Israel to end its assault on Gaza and curtail the building of new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, but some question whether recognition is merely symbolic.

"I think it will be the starting gun for what we hope to be a sprint, not even a march, towards implementing the two-state solution, and we are hoping for an active, effective, meaningful role by the United Kingdom," Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian Mission in London, told Reuters.

Israel, facing a global outcry over its conduct in the Gaza war, has reacted angrily to recognition gestures, saying they would reward Hamas. The Palestinian militant group's gunmen attacked southern Israeli communities near the border on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages into Gaza, according to Israeli figures.

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