As the highlight of a Middle Eastern tour that included Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël met with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on Friday, April 25, in Riyadh. The meeting was described as "useful" and marked by "convergences" on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to both countries. The two ministers met to prepare for an international conference dedicated to Palestine, aimed at advancing the two-state solution, which French President Emmanuel Macron will co-chair with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in June at the United Nations headquarters in New York. On December 3, 2024, the UN General Assembly decided to convene this conference as part of its annual review of the Palestinian issue.

France may recognize a Palestinian state on this occasion. "Our goal is to, sometime in June, with Saudi Arabia, preside over this conference where we could finalize the movement of reciprocal recognition by several [countries]," Macron stated on April 9 on France 5. While the use of the conditional tense remains standard, the French side is asserting its desire to initiate real momentum this time around to bring the two-state solution back to the forefront and spark interest from other countries.

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