France and several other Western nations formally declared their recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations on Monday in a move that deepens Israel’s international isolation as it pursues its maximalist war aims in Gaza and expands settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he is ready to work with world leaders to implement a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians announced by France on Monday. Speaking via video at the UN General Assembly,

Dozens of world leaders gathered to rally support for a two-state solution at the U.N. General Assembly after a number of U.S. allies formally recognized Palestine as a state.

Some 160 states have signed up to recognize a Palestinian state. In the last week, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia have done so, but the prospect of it becoming a reality amid US opposition and Israeli resistance is at best a distant one.

At a meeting ahead of the U.N. General Assembly, France and other U.S. allies made official a breach with Washington that has been years in the making.

Several world leaders are expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state at a summit convened by France and Saudi Arabia, a move Israel says will undermine the prospects of a peaceful ending to the war in Gaza.

Some French mayors have defied government orders and flown Palestinian flags on town halls, with more expected to follow suit as France prepares to formally recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly.

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Thursday rejected any future role for Hamas and condemned antisemitism, as he appealed for full global support for a state in the face of Israeli