Graphic by Pax Christi International

Maryknoll OGC Joins 100+ Organizations in Calling on a Just Peace for Palestine

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined over a hundred other organizations in a letter to leaders and delegates to the high-level UN Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine in support of a viable Palestinian state.

Brussels, June 17th 2025 

To the Leaders and Delegates of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two – State Solution, July 28-29, 2025

Our Appeal to the Delegates  

We address you at a moment of deep moral and historical significance in the long-standing Palestinian question, marked by occupation, dispossession, and profound human suffering. Clear legal and political frameworks through United Nations resolutions and international law have been already established and these foundations must now be urgently and fully realised. 

We wish this Conference to not revisit long-settled debates or to issue abstract declarations. Rather, to stand as a moment of conscience, calling for binding commitments, meaningful political will, and concrete mechanisms that ensure the full implementation of international law and the protection of the rights and dignity of all peoples, Israeli and Palestinian alike.  

To delay or fall short now is to prolong injustice, deepen human suffering, and further erode the hope for a just and lasting peace. The eyes of the world are upon you. This is a moment that must be met with courage, integrity, and decisive action.  

Based on the planned conference roundtables aimed at producing practical, action-focused contributions, we respectfully offer the following recommendations: 

  1. A sovereign and unified Palestinian State  

A sovereign and unified Palestinian state must be recognised, one that coexists peacefully and securely alongside Israel, enjoying full legal and political parity in line with United Nations resolutions and international law. This includes formal recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state and the end of Israeli occupation, alongside the cessation of all settlement activity, as mandated by the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice[1] and relevant UN resolutions[2].  

2. Security for Israelis and Palestinians 

A just and enduring peace necessitates an immediate, permanent, and verifiable ceasefire, enforced and monitored through international guarantees to protect civilians on all sides. Beyond the cessation of violence, a new regional security architecture must be developed, one that promotes peaceful coexistence, conflict prevention, and mutual recognition. This framework must facilitate the disarmament of illegal armed groups and ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law, laying the foundations for lasting security and trust. 

3. Narrative for Peace 

To sustain peace, Palestinian civil society must be placed at the heart of the peace process, with guaranteed full participation. Legal frameworks in both states should be strengthened to counter incitement, racism, and hate speech, ensuring the protection of minorities and equality before the law. Additionally, support must be given to joint Israeli-Palestinian initiatives in education, media, and culture that foster understanding, empathy, and reconciliation. 

4. Economic Viability of the Palestinian State 

The economic independence of a future Palestinian state is paramount. This demand lifting all restrictions on movement, trade, and access to resources. International investment and aid should align with Palestinian development priorities, emphasizing transparency, sustainability, and institution-building to support effective self-governance. 

5. Humanitarian Action and Reconstruction 

Unimpeded humanitarian access throughout the occupied Palestinian territories must be ensured in accordance with international humanitarian law[3]. Reconstruction efforts should be comprehensive and coordinated under Palestinian leadership, with a focus on revitalising healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Immediate measures must also advocate for the release of hostages and detainees, while independent investigations must be established to address violations of humanitarian law. 

6. Preserving the Two-State Solution 

The international community must unequivocally reaffirm its commitment to the full and immediate implementation of all relevant United Nations resolutions[4], resisting any attempts to dilute or renegotiate the two-state framework. Jerusalem must be upheld as a shared city, with equal access to its holy sites for Muslims, Christians, and Jews, in line with the established international status quo. Unilateral actions that undermine peace, such as settlement expansion or annexation, must be clearly and consistently opposed.

7. Promoting Respect for International Law to Implement the Two-State Solution 

An independent international mechanism should be supported and established to investigate and address violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, as outlined by the ICJ Advisory Opinion[5]. Diplomatic and targeted sanctions should be applied to those who obstruct peace or breach legal obligations. All states bear a responsibility to uphold and promote compliance with international law in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

 8. “Peace Day” Initiative 

The “Peace Day” proposals should serve as a platform for fostering grassroots dialogue, humanitarian action, and education on the urgency and viability of the two-state solution. This day must recognise and support peace efforts without erasing the deep trauma and generational suffering experienced by many. It should create space for both healing and hope, acknowledging the pain alongside the pursuit of reconciliation. 

A Final Moral and Political Appeal 

The eyes of the world, and the hopes of millions, rest upon your leadership. This is the moment to break the cycle of suffering, and to forge a just and lasting peace. 

Do not let this Conference be yet another missed opportunity. Let it be the historic turning point where law, justice, and human dignity prevailed.  

Footnotes: 

[1] Summary of the Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204176
[2] UN Archive “Question of Palestine”, https://www.un.org/unispal/document-category/compilation-un-resolutions/
[3] IV Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in time of war, 12 August 1949, https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.33_GC-IV-EN.pdf
[4] UN Security Council Resolution 242 (1967), https://undocs.org/S/RES/242(1967)
UN Security Council Resolution 478 (1980), https://undocs.org/S/RES/478(1980)
UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), https://undocs.org/S/RES/2334(2016)
[5] Summary of the Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204176 

Signatories

  1. Pax Christi International
  2. Red Nacional de Iniciativas Ciudadanas por la Paz y contra la Guerra- REDEPAZ
  3. Pax Christi England and Wales
  4. Pax Christi Flanders / Belgium
  5. Pax Christi Australia
  6. Pax Christi Northwest
  7. pax christi München
  8. Pax christi – deutsche Sektion
  9. Pax Christi – Peru
  10. Pax Christi Scotland
  11. Pax Christi USA
  12. Arab Educational Institute – Pax Christi – Bethlehem / Palestine
  13. Coventry Justice & Peace Group
  14. Anglican Pacifist Fellowship
  15. pax christi Diözesanverband Rottenburg-Stuttgart
  16. Independent Catholic News
  17. Coventry Friends of Palestine
  18. Caritas Internationalis
  19. Liverpool Pax Christi
  20. Pax Christi Italia – Campagna Ponti e Non Muri
  21. The Methodist Church of Southern Africa
  22. National Justice and Peace Network (UK)
  23. Bradford on Avon Friends of Palestine
  24. Youth For Peace And Dialogue between cultures
  25. Daughters of Wisdom
  26. Peacemaking Associates
  27. Indiana Center for Middle East Peace
  28. Jesuit Europea Social Centre
  29. Franciscans international
  30. Pax Christi Cava de’ Tirreni (SA)
  31. Pax Christi Long Island (NY)
  32. Benedictines for Peace
  33. International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
  34. Netzwerk Friedenssteuer eV
  35. Forum Friedensethik in der Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden (FFE
  36. Cordaid
  37. Interfaith Center for Conciliation & Nonviolence
  38. Tui Motu InterIslands magazine
  39. Palestinian Christians in Australia
  40. Notre Dame Mission Volunteers
  41. Neos Kosmos aps
  42. Pax Christi Northwest
  43. Missionary Society of St. Columban
  44. EarthHope
  45. Carmelites, Vedruna ICJPIC
  46. Benedictines for Peace
  47. Peace Movement Aotearoa
  48. Darfur Youth Centre for Peace and Development
  49. Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations, Australia
  50. Catholic News World
  51. Revista Audácia
  52. Pax Christi Florida
  53. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
  54. Cercle Laudato SI’ Brompton, Sherbrooke, QC,Canada
  55. Pax Christi Central Seattle
  56. Alternatives to Violence Project Nevada
  57. Susanna Pax Christi, Dedham, MA
  58. Missionari OMI
  59. pax christi Münster Germany
  60. Pax Christi France
  61. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church – Franciscan Parish
  62. Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA-JPIC
  63. VLOS
  64. Pax Christi Ireland
  65. Pax Christi Greensburg, PA
  66. Paz Christi – Ark Community
  67. INNATE Ireland
  68. Methodist Peace Fellowship
  69. Alliance of Baptists
  70. Platform Vrouwen & Duurzame Vrede
  71. St Thomas More Peace Initiative
  72. Federación de Liberación Animal
  73. Michael & Sacred Heart Parish, Liverpool Archdiocese, UK
  74. Sisters of St. Francis
  75. Pax Christi Hudson Valley, NY
  76. Franciscan Justice Circle Mid-Hudson Valley, NY
  77. Pax Christi Illinois
  78. Pax Christi Northern California
  79. Pax Christi Seed Planters/IL
  80. Pax Christi Whangarei
  81. Association of US Catholic Priests
  82. Seek The Alternatives (STA) – Community-Based Organization
  83. Brigidine Sisters
  84. Lex Innocentium 21st Century
  85. Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation
  86. pax christi Rottenburg-Stuttgart
  87. Association Modeste et Innocent (AMI)
  88. The Iona Community
  89. Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
  90. Xaverian Missionaries UK province
  91. Steirische Friedensplattform
  92. Sisters of Charity of St. Louis – Calgary
  93. Pax Christi Austria
  94. congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross
  95. Felician Sisters of North America
  96. Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand
  97. Pax Christi Toronto (Canada)
  98. Kerk en Vrede (Nederland)
  99. Society of Mary – Marist SM
  100. FaithEd Project
  101. Religious of the Assumption (English territory)
  102. Religions for Peace Netherlands
  103. MIR TOGO
  104. Ngā Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand
  105. Pax Christi RI
  106. Sisters of Mercy New Zealand
  107. PAX
  108. Journey For Change
  109. International Fellowship of Reconciliation
  110. Muslim Peace Fellowship
  111. VIVAT International
  112. MIR-France