G-7 Nixes ‘Two-State Solution’ 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, in the Canadian province of Quebec, significantly watered down language on the Middle East and, to a lesser extent, Ukraine. 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.

“It is normal at every G-7 that there are negotiations until late in the night,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said. “The goal was to keep strong G-7 unity.”

Reaching agreement on the Middle East was the most challenging part of the meeting, said people familiar with the discussions, 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, which the final communique mentions, 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.” 

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.”

On Ukraine, the foreign ministers overcame initial differences and agreed to a statement that confirms their support for the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Wording on sanctions 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. 

Language from a draft statement calling for “robust international security guarantees” to ensure the war does not start again has been dropped. Instead, the communique cites the need for “robust and credible security arrangements” to ensure that Ukraine can deter and defend against any renewed act of agression.

A senior Trump administration official, who declined to be named, said the US believes there’s a window of opportunity to end the war in Ukraine and that it wasn’t productive to needlessly reemphasize harsh condemnation of Russia given that approach hasn’t brought peace after three years of conflict. 

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

Joly said Canada’s position is clear — it believes in a two-state solution. “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,” she said. 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Israel to “immediately allow humanitarian deliveries to Gaza again” and warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the region. “The blockade of humanitarian aid violates international law,” she added. “The Palestinians must not be expelled from Gaza.”

G-7 members also set the scene for negotiations with Iran, while accusing Tehran of being the principal source of instability in the Middle East.

In a separate declaration on maritime security, top diplomats overcame strong US reluctance and pledged to create a task force to tackle Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers. The declaration calls on Nordic and Baltic states to join the effort to detect and constrain Russia’s use of the ships to circumvent sanctions.

(Updates with release of final communique and quotes from German foreign minister. An earlier update added comment from a senior Trump administration official.)

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