FM Cho says two-state solution only path to resolving Israel-Palestine conflict

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, center, presides over a U.N. Security Council briefing on the Middle East during the U.N. General Assembly High-Level Week in New York, Sept. 23. Courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has reaffirmed the "two-state solution" as the only path to resolving the prolonged conflict between Israel and Palestine, pledging South Korea's continued efforts to help bring peace and stability to the region.

Cho made the remarks at a high-level U.N. Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the Middle East during the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday (local time), as a group of key U.S. allies, including Britain and France, are declaring their recognition of Palestine's statehood in a major diplomatic shift regarding the region.

"Minister Cho emphasized that a two-state solution is the only path to resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict and achieving lasting peace," the ministry said in a release.

"The minister said South Korea will actively join the international community's efforts to promote regional peace and stability through the two-state solution," it said.

A two-state solution envisions creating an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. It has long been regarded as the most viable framework for peaceful coexistence.

However, recognizing Palestine as a state is a different matter, as it would place Palestine on the same diplomatic footing as other sovereign nations and allows for full authority over its own governance, including international trade and other exchanges.

Currently, Palestine is represented by the Palestinian Authority, which has limited power to self-rule, with the Israelis having control over much of the territories that used to belong to Palestine before the 1967 Six-Day War.

The move to recognize Palestine as a state is seen as reflecting the U.S. allies' disappointment and frustration at the Donald Trump administration's lukewarm approach to Israel despite the escalating Israeli attacks on Palestine in the war stretching into its second year next month.

Around 150 out of 193 U.N. member states already recognize Palestine as a state, but most U.S. allies, including South Korea and Japan, continue to have reservations about the issue.

France, Britain, Australia, Canada and Portugal are among the countries that have recognized Palestine as a state in the last few days, according to a Reuters report.

In the subsequent UNSC briefing on Ukraine, Cho urged an immediate end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine that has dragged on for more than three years.

Cho said that indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure amount to violations of international humanitarian law.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among those attending the briefing on Ukraine.

Cho also used the briefing to express grave concern over the expanding military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, pointing out that any arms transfers or dispatch of troops would be a blatant violation of UNSC sanctions resolutions against Pyongyang.

Cho warned that such actions would undermine the global nonproliferation regime, prolong the war and pose a serious threat to regional security, including the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said.

Cho presided over both UNSC meetings as South Korea holds the rotating UNSC presidency this month.