UNITED NATIONS (AP) — European, Arab and Islamic nations have launched an initiative to strengthen support for a Palestinian state and its institutions, and prepare for a future after the war in Gaza and escalating conflict in Lebanon, Norway’s foreign minister said Friday.
Espen Barth Eide told The Associated Press that “there is a growing consensus in the international community from Western countries, from Arab countries, from the Global South, that we need to establish a Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian government, a Palestinian state — and the Palestinian state has to be recognized.”
Eide said many issues need to be addressed, including the security interests of Israel and the Palestinians, recognition and normalization of relations after decades of conflict and the demobilization of Hamas as a military group.
“These are pieces of a bigger puzzle,” Norway’s chief diplomat said. “And you can’t just come in there with one of these pieces, because it only works if all the pieces are laid in place.”
But even if the puzzle is completed, it's unlikely to gain traction with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Still, Eide believes that after decades of failed or stalled negotiations, “we need to take a new approach” to achieving an independent Palestinian state.
To accelerate work on these issues, Eide said almost 90 countries attended a meeting Thursday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly’s current gathering of world leaders. He and Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister co-chaired the session to launch “The Global Alliance for the Implementation of a Palestinian State and a Two-State Solution.”
“We have to see how we can come out of this deadlock and try to use this deep crisis also as an opportunity to move forward,” Eide told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Gaza later Friday.
Norway is the guarantor of the 1993 Oslo Accords, hailed as a breakthrough in the decades-long conflict between Arabs and Jews, which created the Palestinian Authority and set up self-rule areas in the Palestinian Authority. Eide said more than 30 years later, Israel’s “occupation” is continuing, and there there are no negotiations leading to a final settlement and an independent Palestinian state — which led to Norway’s decision in May to recognize a Palestinian state.
Now, 149 of the U.N.’s 193 member nations have recognized a Palestinian state. Eide urged all countries “to contribute to universal recognition” and strengthen Palestinian institutions so they live up to the expectations of people in the West Bank and are prepared to return to Gaza: “We want one Palestine, not different Palestines,” he said.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that his country, the joint Islamic-Arab ministerial committee, Norway and the European Union launched the alliance “because we feel responsible to act to change the reality of the conflict without delay.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged all countries to take practical measures “to bring about the free Palestine next to a secure Israel.”
Borrell said on X that the first meetings of the alliance would be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Brussels.
Borrell asked rhetorically of anyone who opposes a two-state solution: What is the solution, and can it be implemented? He stressed that work on this initiative will move ahead quickly.
Eide said this new effort is built on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, “but updated to today’s reality.”
The 2002 initiative, endorsed by the Arab League and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation, offered Israel normalized relations in exchange for a full withdrawal from territories captured in 1967.
He said efforts started long ago to build the institutions of a Palestinian state.
“It’s difficult,” Eide said. “Their hands are tied in many ways. We’re seeing an increasing amount of illegal settlements and settle violence.”
“But still, there is an embryonic institution there that we have to strengthen,” he said.
Eide said he chaired a meeting Thursday of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Building of Palestinian Institutions, with the United States, Canada, the EU and many Mideast and European countries contributing.
“None of these tools will solve the problem on their own, and we never pretended that, but we’re trying to build a body of instruments that will take us forward to a peaceful settlement,” Eide said. “And I am convinced it will happen here.”
See more of AP’s coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations
Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide speaks during an interview at the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide speaks during an interview at the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
FILE - Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Bryan Reynolds homered twice, including a tiebreaking two-run drive in the eighth inning that lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Yankees 4-2 on Friday night and delayed New York from clinching home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s two-run single put the Yankees ahead in the fifth inning but Nick Gonzales and Bryan Reynolds hit consecutive homers off Carlos Rodón in the the sixth.
“I said, `You ever get two at Yankee Stadium?' And he said, `no.' I said, `Well, I’ve seen people get two at Yankee Stadium,'” Pirates manager Derek Shelton recalled telling Reynolds.
After batting right-handed against Rodón, Reynolds homered to center hitting left-handed against Tommy Kahnle (0-2).
“He walked back and said, `Yeah, so have I now,'” Shelton remembered.
Reynolds looked at Shelton as he circled the bases.
“So, yeah, spoken into existence,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds had his second multihomer game this season and the seventh of his big league career — his third from both sides. He leads the Pirates with 24 homers and 88 RBIs, reaching 24 homers for the fourth straight season.
Joey Wentz, Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski (5-5), Dennis Santana and former Yankee Aroldis Chapman (13th save in 18 chances) combined to retire the last 14 Yankees in order.
New York opens the Division Series at home Oct. 5 and would be assured home-field advantage in the League Championship Series by winning one of its last two games or by Cleveland losing one of its last two.
Rodón allowed two runs, four hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. He finished 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA, a rebound from 3-8 with a career-worst 6.85 ERA in an injury-marred 2023 after signing a $162 million, six-year contract. Rodón has allowed a career-high 31 homers, 23 of them solo.
“The goal was to go out there and make every start this year and did that,” Rodón said.
A night after clinching the AL East, the Yankees rested Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Austin Wells. Judge got his third game off this season after June 10 against Kansas City and June 19 against Baltimore. He has homered in five straight games, raising his major league-leading total to 58.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone thought about using Judge and Stanton as pinch hitters in the ninth inning.
“Unless we put together a rally with some traffic I wasn't I really valued having those guys down today," Boone said. “But it was tempting, yes.”
New York plans to take Monday off, have combinations of workouts and simulated games the following three days and a mandatory workout on Friday ahead of the Division Series opener.
Pittsburgh rookie Jared Jones gave up two runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings, reaching 100 mph on four pitches. The 23-year-old rookie right-hander made five starts after missing eight weeks with a strained lat muscle and finished 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings.
“I would say it’s terrible but a lot of other people would say I had a pretty good one,” Jones said. “Coming back after injury it kind of took a while for the stuff to come back, and I felt like it finally all came back in the last two, three starts.”
His fastball velocity against the Yankees averaged 98.7 mph, 1.4 mph above his season average and nearly the 98.8 season average of teammate Paul Skenes. Jones' goal for next year is “just trying to get as strong as possible and maybe I get a start or two where I beat Paul Skenes in a velo for a week.”
Chisholm stole a pair of bases for a career-high 40.
“It’s number that we were aiming for all year, 40 bags,” he said.
Right-hander Michael Burrows was added to the Pirates taxi squad.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: INF DJ LeMahieu, who hasn’t played since Sept. 3 because of right hip impingement, plans to resume baseball activities in a few days. “I don’t know if they’ll use me or not, but I’m definitely going to try to be available,” he said. ... RHP Jake Cousins, out with a right pec strain since Sept. 19, played catch Friday for the first time since getting hurt.
UP NEXT
Skenes (11-3, 1.99), a top contender for NL Rookie of the Year, makes his 23rd and final start. He has thrown 96 pitches of 100 mph or more — Angels right-hander José Soriano is second among starting pitchers with 40. RHP Luis Gil (15-6, 3.27) starts for the Yankees.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman celebrates with catcher Joey Bart after the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. The Pirates won 4-2. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds (10) high-fives Jared Triolo after the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. The Pirates won 4-2. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge looks on from the dugout during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Aroldis Chapman pitches during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. The Pirates won 4-2. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon, foreground, reacts after giving up a home run to Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds hits a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds, right, watches his two-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds, right, rounds the bases past New York Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., left, after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds, right, is greeted Billy Cook (28) after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
