Diplomacy
US warns allies against attending UN conference on Palestine

The administration of US President Donald Trump is urging allied governments not to participate in next week’s United Nations conference, where a potential two-state solution between Israel and Palestine will be discussed.
A diplomatic cable sent on Tuesday, June 10, and reviewed by Reuters, states that countries engaging in “anti-Israel actions” following the conference will be considered to be acting against US foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic repercussions from Washington.
This previously unreported initiative contradicts the diplomatic efforts led by France and Saudi Arabia, two close allies hosting the upcoming meeting in New York. The conference aims to establish the parameters for a Palestinian state while ensuring Israel’s security.
The memo states, “We call on governments not to participate in this conference, which we find undermines the ongoing, life-saving efforts to end the war in Gaza and rescue the hostages.”
President Emmanuel Macron has hinted that France might recognize a Palestinian state in the Israeli-occupied territories during the conference. French officials have indicated they are working to avoid a conflict with the United States, Israel’s most steadfast ally.
If Macron proceeds with this step, France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities, would become the first major Western power to recognize a Palestinian state. This could lend significant momentum to a movement that has, until now, been dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel.
“The United States opposes any steps to unilaterally recognize a hypothetical Palestinian state,” the cable reads. “This would introduce significant legal and political obstacles to a final resolution of the conflict and would support Israel’s enemies by pressuring it during a time of war.”
For decades, the US has officially supported the two-state solution, which envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza alongside Israel.
During his first term, Trump maintained a relatively moderate stance on the two-state solution, a long-standing pillar of US Middle East policy. The Republican president has offered few clues about his position on the matter for a potential second term.
However, on Tuesday, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested that an independent Palestinian state is not among US foreign policy objectives.
The American memorandum argues that unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state would “effectively make October 7th Palestine’s Independence Day.”
The US cable also notes that Washington is working “tirelessly” with Egypt and Qatar to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, release the hostages, and end the conflict.
“This conference undermines sensitive negotiations and emboldens Hamas at a time when the terrorist organization has rejected proposals from negotiators that Israel has accepted,” the US claims.
The cable adds, “The United States rejects the conference’s implications that it supports potential actions against Israel, including boycotts, sanctions, and other punitive measures.”
Israel has repeatedly criticized the conference, arguing that it “rewards Hamas for its attack on Israel,” and has pressured France not to recognize a Palestinian state.
“Nothing surprises me anymore, but I don’t know how many countries might be dissuaded from attending,” said a European diplomat who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. “This is bullying, and it’s foolish bullying at that.”