'Israel' urges US silence on 'two-state solution': Officials

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
15 Dec 2023 21:27
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A US official asserts that Washington is not in a position to heed the call for a "two-state solution".

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second right, confers with Security Minister Yoav Gallant, right, during their meeting with US President Joe Biden in “Tel Aviv” on October 18, 2023. (AP)

Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have reportedly privately urged the Biden administration to avoid public discussions about the "two-state solution" in the aftermath of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

This sentiment extends beyond Netanyahu, with other war cabinet members such as Benny Gantz, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and opposition chairman Yair Lapid expressing discomfort with the Biden administration's renewed emphasis on the need for a "two-state solution" since the beginning of the current aggression, according to Israeli and US officials as reported by Israeli media.

“A two-state solution after what happened on October 7 is a reward to Hamas,” said one of the Israeli officials, as reported by The Times of Israel.

“Netanyahu is the one saying it loudly and bluntly, but there truly isn’t any appetite right now in Israel across the political spectrum for the idea of two states,” the official added.

Israeli media noted that Gantz discussed a "two-entity solution", deliberately refraining from using the term "state" to describe "the Palestinian entity he would be willing to accept" even before the current aggression.

“It is clear to both us and our partners that the old concepts, and the reality of the past decades, need to change and be forward-looking,” Gantz said in a statement during his Thursday night speech.

On his part, the Israeli President said in an interview for AP, “What I want to urge is against just saying ‘two-state solution’. Why? Because there is an emotional chapter here that must be dealt with. My nation is bereaving. My nation is in trauma."

Lapid, who previously endorsed a "two-state solution" during his tenure as Prime Minister last year, has recently refrained from using the term.

While both Lapid and Gantz oppose the "two-state solution", they have privately expressed their reservations and criticized Netanyahu for creating unnecessary conflicts with the Biden administration on this issue, as per Israeli media reports.

Netanyahu is “a good friend, but I think he has to change,” Biden stated at a campaign fundraiser on Tuesday. “You cannot say there’s no Palestinian state at all in the future.”

“We have to work toward bringing Israel together in a way that provides for the beginning of… a two-state solution,” he added.

Biden's comments triggered concern in occupied al-Quds, prompting Israeli officials to express their apprehensions to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during Thursday's meetings. Importantly, Sullivan refrained from discussing the "two-state solution" in both a comprehensive interview for Channel 12 in "Tel Aviv" and in the official statement from his office regarding the meetings with Israeli leaders on Thursday.

However, during a press conference on Friday, he concluded his opening statement by asserting, “I have and will continue to state President Biden’s commitment to preserving space for peace, for a two-state solution where Israel’s security is guaranteed.”

In Washington, two key administration spokespeople continued to use talking points supporting the paradigm.

“We still adhere to the promise and the vision of a two-state solution,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday.

In the State Department, Spokesperson Matt Miller reiterated the message, stating, “... We think the best way to achieve that is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state… We make that clear privately, we make that clear publicly, and it’s something we’ll continue to engage with the Israeli government about.”

A US official, as revealed by The Times of Israel, talked about a concerted effort from various fronts to persuade the Biden administration to reduce the public emphasis on the necessity of "a two-state solution". However, the official asserted that Washington has no intention of yielding on this matter.

“We have our own domestic politics and our global diplomatic standing to take into account,” the official added. “We’re doing a lot for Israel, and they need to understand this is something we need to do.”