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.

France formally recognized 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.

The Israel Defense Forces is continuing its operation to take control of Gaza City, the largest urban area in the Gaza Strip, despite international outcry.

As the Gaza war rages on, France and Saudi Arabia are chairing a high-profile meeting at the United Nations on Monday aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with more nations expected to recognize a Palestinian state in defiance of Israel and the United States.

France, Britain and the other countries recognizing a Palestinian state this week say they aim to salvage whatever hope remains for the internationally backed formula to end the half-century-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians: a Jewish state of Israel at peace with a neighboring Palestinian one.