$90M Saudi-led coalition formed to strengthen Palestinian Authority
Saudi Arabia has announced the creation of an emergency international coalition to provide direct financial backing to the Palestinian Authority (PA), pledging $90 million as its first contribution.
The announcement was made in New York by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly. He stressed that “there will be no normalisation with Israel without a Palestinian state,” underscoring Riyadh’s stance that a two-state solution is the only pathway to peace.
The initiative was launched alongside the Global Alliance to Implement the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia, the EU, and Norway. According to the Saudi minister, the coalition’s purpose is to translate the New York Declaration, endorsed by more than 140 UN member states earlier this week, into concrete measures to support Palestinian governance and secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
The move comes as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warns of worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where over 2.2 million people face famine-like conditions, according to the World Health Organisation. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that the agency, with its 12,000 staff in Gaza, is the “key asset” for rebuilding and stabilising the territory once the war ends.
The Saudi-backed coalition aims to empower the PA to eventually govern both the West Bank and Gaza. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, also present at the New York meeting, said international consensus on the two-state solution is now stronger than ever, but remains blocked by “the extremist stance of the Israeli government.”
So far, 159 countries officially recognise Palestine, a number Riyadh says shows that statehood is becoming “an irreversible reality backed by international will.”
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
