The United States on Monday sharply criticized a French-Saudi-backed United Nations conference focused on promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, dismissing the gathering as nothing more than a “publicity stunt.” According to the US State Department, the three-day event was labeled “unproductive and ill-timed,” with officials arguing it could actually make achieving peace more difficult. The State Department statement, delivered by spokesperson Tammy Bruce, described the diplomatic effort as a “reward for terrorism,” directly condemning French President Emmanuel Macron’s promise to recognize a Palestinian state as “counterproductive.”
The statement went further, asserting that rather than advancing peace, the conference would only serve to “prolong the war, embolden Hamas, and reward its obstructionism,” thereby undermining serious efforts to resolve the conflict. Bruce emphasized that Secretary Rubio viewed the initiative as a “slap in the face” to the victims of the October 7th attacks and as an action that perpetuates the plight of hostages. “The United States will not participate in this insult,” the statement declared, adding that America remains committed to leading substantive diplomatic efforts to end hostilities and work toward a lasting peace, rather than engaging in “stage-managed conferences designed to manufacture the appearance of relevance.”
The US also argued that President Macron’s announcement regarding recognition of a Palestinian state was “welcomed by Hamas” and encouraged further resistance to a ceasefire, thereby undermining American diplomatic initiatives aimed at alleviating suffering in Gaza, securing the release of hostages, and moving the region toward greater stability and prosperity. Washington reiterated its position that genuine progress requires practical engagement and diplomacy, not symbolic gestures that risk complicating an already volatile situation.
