France is hosting a peace conference with hopes of settling conflicts between Israel and Palestine with a so-called "two-state solution."
The only problem is neither is represented at the conference.
The goal is for world leaders to help craft some sort of an agreement that allows Palestine to become a legitimate country with recognized borders.
Palestinians want to form a state on the West Bank and use East Jerusalem as its capital. But Israelis have been settling the West Bank, and Israel's government claims the entire city of Jerusalem as its own.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the peace talks "rigged" and refused to attend. Palestinian leaders aren't attending either.
Netanyahu repeatedly said that for a two-state solution to be successful, the two states themselves need to negotiate, rather than world powers doing it for them.
But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is considered by some to be a rejectionist who doesn't want to compromise with Israel and doesn't recognize it as a Jewish state.
The U.S. is taking part in the conference — but likely more for show than anything. Donald Trump's administration enters the White House this week, and the president-elect has boasted much more of a pro-Israel stance than the Obama administration has.
