G-7 Cuts ‘Two-State Solution’ Phrase to Push Through Communique

(Bloomberg) — Group of Seven foreign ministers have reached consensus on a joint statement calling for more sanctions on Russia if it doesn’t agree to a ceasefire. But the breakthrough was possible only after allies made concessions to the US, including removing any mention of a “two-state solution” in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, people familiar with the matter said.

The top diplomats gathered in Charlevoix, Quebec, significantly watered down language on the Middle East and, to a lesser extent, Ukraine, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal negotiations. The back-and-forth reveals how dramatically the Trump administration’s foreign policy has broken with its predecessors and sets the stage for a tense leaders’ summit in Alberta in June. 

“We’re on track to have a strong statement. I’m confident that that can be the case,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Friday morning. “It is normal at every G-7 that there are negotiations until late in the night.”

Reaching agreement on the Middle East was the most challenging part of the discussions, said the people familiar, as the US would not accept reference to a two-state solution or Palestine. Still, the people said the alliance was able to persuade the US to commit to a “political horizon for the Palestinian people.” 

That horizon, the communique is expected to say, will be achieved through a negotiated solution to the conflict with Israel, and meet the “legitimate needs and aspirations of both peoples.” The statement calls for a solution that advances “comprehensive Middle East peace, stability and prosperity,” according to people who have seen the document. 

President Donald Trump alarmed Palestinian and other Arab officials last month when he pitched turning the Gaza Strip into a “Riviera” in the Middle East. He has since toned down his rhetoric, saying that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians.”

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Joly said the foreign ministers’ goal throughout the meeting, which took place Wednesday through Friday, was to “keep strong G-7 unity.”

“Canada’s position is clear, we believe in a two-state solution, period,” she said. “I think that you’ll see in the statement that ultimately Israelis and Palestinians can only live side by side if we respect their right to self-determination. I think that there is strong support for that approach.”

On Ukraine, the foreign ministers overcame initial differences and are set to agree to a statement that confirms their support for the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Wording on sanctions, the people with knowledge of the statement said, has been picked up from a previous statement issued in Munich, making clear new sanctions could be imposed on Russia if it doesn’t agree to a ceasefire. 

Diplomats also discussed setting the scene for negotiations with Iran, some of the people said, adding there would likely be a separate declaration on maritime security. The US had vetoed a Canadian proposal to tackle shadow fleets, a key source of income for Russia during its invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg has reported.

–With assistance from Iain Marlow.

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