400 Religious Leaders Call for 2-State Solution During Global Summit

The Second International Summit of Religious Leaders, held in Malaysia, has called for an end to conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Youths ride atop packages and furniture in a cart towed by another vehicle as people evacuate southbound from Gaza City on Sept. 2, 2025. EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

The Second International Summit of Religious Leaders has concluded with a call to end fighting in Gaza and the adoption of a two-state solution to resolve the conflict.

The event, held in Kuala Lumpur, drew over 1,000 participants from 54 countries, comprising 400 Islamic and non-Islamic leaders, as well as academics, political leaders, and parliamentarians.

Through five sessions, the summit addressed themes, including religiously motivated conflicts and their root causes, the role of religious diplomacy in supporting peaceful settlements, and the tragedy in Gaza as an international failure.

It was organised by the office of Malaysia’s prime minister, Anwar bin Ibrahim, and the Muslim World League (MWL), which was founded in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 1962.

Its stated mission is to provide humanitarian aid, promote peace, and counter extremism, and it is an observer member in the U.N. Economic and Social Council (UNESCO).

Gaza Crisis

Ibrahim told the gathering that “we are living in an era of declining trust, a deficit not only among political leaders but also in upholding the values of justice, humanity, and truth.”

He said the Gaza crisis has revealed a “profound loss of the international community’s commitment to justice and humanity.”

He noted that all religions call for the promotion of compassion and coexistence, and warned against the dangers of “clash of civilisations” theories.

Participants strongly condemned the war and starvation in Gaza, urging governments and religious leaders worldwide to take immediate action to halt the crisis.

They also called for pressure on Israeli authorities to comply with international law, to ensure the rights of the Palestinian people, and to establish an independent Palestinian state in accordance with relevant international resolutions.

Dialogue Between Various Faith Groups

Sadhguru Brahmeshanandcharya Swamiki, founder and president of the International Sadhguru Institution in India, discussed the combining of faith and governance, saying that “when religious leaders come together in the spirit of dialogue, modern leadership and religion can go together hand in hand.”

Kirinde Sri Dhammaratana, the Buddhist chief high priest of Malaysia, also emphasised the importance of interfaith dialogue.

“We need to have a healthy society,” he said.

“Therefore, I strongly appeal to all the religious leaders and all the global leaders to have a bit of an understanding of other people’s cultures and traditions and then a little bit about basic teaching, and then we can live peacefully and happy,” he added.

The summit reaffirmed its support for the final document of the High-level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which was drawn up at a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia and France at the U.N. in New York.

The religious leaders pledged to mobilise their spiritual and societal influence to rally support for the document.

Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the MWL, said that peace is not merely an option but a necessity for the survival of humanity and for the credibility of the U.N. Charter.

Israel Says Palestinian State Not a Solution

Israel rejects the two-state solution because it claims that a sovereign state of Palestine would profoundly endanger its national security.

A year ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the U.N. General Assembly that his country favoured a solution that would see “Israel and its Arab partners forming a land bridge connecting Asia and Europe,” and blamed Iran for fomenting trouble in the region.

He noted that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to condemn the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Netanyahu claimed “he’s still paying hundreds of millions to terrorists who murdered Israelis and Americans” and that the Palestinian Authority “still wages unremitting diplomatic warfare against Israel’s right to exist and against Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Israel’s position is backed by the current Trump administration, in a departure from the two-state solution policy the country has promoted for 25 years and through five presidents, including President Donald Trump’s first term.

In a June 10 interview with Bloomberg, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said that he opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state at this time, noting that “unless there are some significant things that happen that change the [Palestinian] culture, there is no room for it,” and adding that those changes “are not likely to occur in our lifetime.”