What was the meeting in Paris with Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups about? What is the two-state solution? Can the two-state solution be saved? What are Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups doing for peace? Will there be peace between Israelis and Palestinians? What is settler violence? How are settlements impacting the possibility of a two-state solution?
Israeli and Palestinian groups are fighting to save the two-state solution. Several Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups gathered in Paris on June 12, 2026 to plead to the international community not to abandon the two-state solution. The meeting came ahead of a G7 summit in France.
The meeting included foreign ministers and officials from many countries. It was held on the one-year anniversary of the U.N.-backed New York Declaration, which established a path toward Palestinian statehood and prompted around 12 countries to recognize a Palestinian state, including France, Britain, and Canada.
The groups at the meeting urged that “the window of opportunity” was closing. The event concluded with an eight-point action plan urging a permanent ceasefire, a halt to settlements, reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, governance reforms, and stronger international support for civil society.
The action plan noted that “The region continues to fracture. Gaza is devastated, Israel remains under threat. Settler terrorism, settlement expansion, and de facto annexation and threats to the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine the viability of a future Palestinian state.”
French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed France’s support for the two-state solution, adding that “this year could be decisive.”
The meeting came after, on June 9, 2026, Britain, Canada, France and Norway announced new sanctions against Israeli networks involved in financing, enabling and carrying out violence in the West Bank. This was after Australia and New Zealand had announced sanctions the previous week.
Britain, Canada, France, Norway, and Australia said the steps aimed to “hold extremist settlers accountable for the horrific levels of settler violence against Palestinian civilians.”
In September 2025, France, Britain, Canada and several other countries recognized a Palestinian state, defying long-held norms for Western countries. However, hopes for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine have been dimming for decades, largely due to Israel’s settlement expansion, as well as continued violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israeli settlers in the West Bank continue to brutally attack Palestinians, in some instances depopulating entire villages. On June 11, the UN said that settler attacks have hit record levels and surpassed 1,000 this year. Settlements also use Palestinian resources including land and water.
Meanwhile, progress on Palestinian self rule in Gaza and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza have been delayed, with each side blaming the other for not taking the steps listed in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan. On June 7, 2026, Palestinian factions met in Cairo to discuss the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire. A source familiar with the talks told Times of Israel that the implementation of the plan would advance, regardless of Hamas trying to avoid disarmament.
On April 16, 2026 the left wing pro-Israel group J Street published an assessment of the Gaza ceasefire, six months after it was announced on October 10, 2025. J Street noted that the plan has “largely stalled on all its promises beyond the initial pause in fighting, hostage exchange, and surge in humanitarian aid.” Since the ceasefire was announced, the assessment reported, over 700 Palestinians and four Israelis had been killed in Gaza.
The assessment added that although Gaza’s humanitarian situation has improved significantly, it remains dire. Seventy-seven percent of the population still faces acute food insecurity, and severe shortages in medical supplies, fuel, and shelter materials persist, largely due to Israeli restrictions on items classified as “dual-use,” including temporary shelters.
Despite setbacks at the political level, grassroots peace initiatives are still fighting for peace. Israeli and Palestinian civil society organizations are working to save the possibility of peace amidst increasingly dire conditions in the decades-long conflict.
Keywords: Israel, Palestine, civil society, peace updates, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, settler violence, Gaza, Paris, two-state solution
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
