Minister Byrne attends Paris Call for the Two-State Solution

Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, will today (12 June) join other Ministers and civil society leaders at the Paris Call for the Two-State Solution. This year’s Paris Call, chaired by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, has been convened ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit in Evian to deliver an updated call to action.

The event marks the one-year anniversary of the Paris Call, hosted by the Paris Peace

Forum, which brought together civil society leaders from Israel and Palestine in advance of the UN High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. 

Commenting on the event, Minister Byrne said: “I welcome the opportunity to represent Ireland at the Paris Call for the Two-State Solution, which is a demonstration of Ireland’s support for the crucial role of civil society, in implementing the Two-State solution. Today’s meeting of Ministers will provide a valuable opportunity to discuss the need to ensure a genuine political pathway towards the two-State solution, as well as to reinforce the role that civil society can play in this regard.”

Minister Byrne continued: “Ireland and the EU’s position remains that the Two-State solution is the only viable pathway to establish lasting peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region. The Two-State solution is under threat from unprecedented levels of settlement activity and settler violence. The international community must do everything it can to ensure that it remains viable. Ireland stands ready to play our part in working towards a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine through the realisation of the two-State solution.”

“Ireland has long emphasised the importance of the role of civil society in the Israeli-Palestinian context. This was an important element of the meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution that Ireland hosted in Dublin in January, which focused on sharing lessons from Ireland’s own experience of peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, and how dialogue, inclusion and strong institutions can help turn conflict into lasting peace.”