US State Dept eyes options for possible Palestinian state recognition
4 Min Read
One senior US official says some in the current administration may be willing to accept that a Palestinian state is the stepping stone to end the war for good.
-
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the State Department in Washington on January 29, 2024. (AP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has requested the State Department to conduct a review and propose policy options on possible US and international recognition of a Palestinian state, two US officials informed on the matter told Axios.
US officials have maintained no change in the decades-old policy of opposing a Palestinian state, but Axios noted that a mere contemplation of such alternatives indicates a shift in the Biden administration's thinking on eventual Palestinian statehood recognition, which is extremely sensitive both globally and domestically.
One senior US official described that some in the current administration may be willing to accept that a Palestinian state is the stepping stone to end the war for good.
This may be done through various ways like allowing the UN Security Council to admit Palestine as a UN member, bilaterally recognizing the state, or encouraging other nations to recognize the Palestinian state.
US officials said the assessment of alternatives for recognizing a Palestinian state is one of several concerns Blinken has requested the State Department to consider.
Blinken also requested an examination of what a demilitarized Palestinian state might look like using other models from throughout the world. According to a US official, demilitarizing the Palestinian state is crucial for the occupation's "security".
Meanwhile, a White House National Security Council spokesperson told Al Mayadeen that any recognition of a state of Palestine must only take place "through direct negotiations between the parties rather than through unilateral recognition at the UN. That policy has not changed."
Biden holds out hope for Netanyahu
Earlier, Biden had said after a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it was possible Netanyahu could come around to some form of a "two-state solution".
"There are a number of types of two-state solutions. There's a number of countries that are members of the UN that... don't have their own militaries," Biden told reporters after an event at the White House.
Last week, Netanyahu reiterated his policy that after Hamas is destroyed, "Israel" must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, a requirement that contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also has stated that there is "broad consensus" in the Israeli occupation against a Palestinian state, calling such a state a "push for the next massacre."
He declared that the White House must “wise up on the concepts that led to [this] national disaster in Israel.”
Axios reported on Tuesday that Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is scheduled to travel to the US where he will meet with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other senior Biden administration officials.
According to the report, they are due to hold talks on the war on Gaza and "Israel's" post-war plans in the Strip in light of Saudi Arabia's conditions for normalizing diplomatic relations with the regime.
Who is Dermer?
Dermer is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest and most trusted confidant and has key insight on possible strategies to reach a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Before the outbreak of the war, Dermer played a crucial role in the talks for a normalization agreement.
The Biden administration has already made it clear that it supports Palestinian statehood as part of Saudi requirements to reach the agreement. The report states that the topic will likely be touched upon during the meetings.
While several US officials have pushed for a post-war strategy involving a two-state solution, Netanyahu has been very reluctant to get on board with this strategy.
His pretext for arguing against the two-state solution is the allegation that a Palestinian state would pose an existential threat to "Israel".
