A group of 19 Democratic senators, led by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), have sent a letter to President Biden asking his administration to establish a bold and public plan for achieving a two-state solution that recognizes a nonmilitarized Palestinian state after the war in Gaza.
The senators argue that Biden should reignite U.S. leadership in finding a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We urge you to publicly lay out a plan for the United States to acknowledge a nonmilitarized Palestinian state,” they wrote.
The letter comes as Democrats are increasingly worried about civilian casualties in the Gazan war and reports of children suffering from starvation and malnutrition due to humanitarian supplies being blocked by the fighting.
“Given the seriousness of the current crisis, this moment requires strong U.S. leadership that goes beyond facilitation,” the senators wrote.
“As such, we ask the Biden Administration to promptly establish a bold and public plan outlining the necessary steps for the U.S. to acknowledge a nonmilitarized Palestinian state, including the West Bank and Gaza, to be governed by a revitalized and reformed Palestinian Authority,” they said.
Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) also signed the letter.
It comes a few days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest ranking Jewish leader in Congress in American history, delivered a landmark speech on the Senate floor, reaffirming his support for a two-state solution to achieve peace in Israel and Palestine.
Schumer also called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a barrier to peace and encouraged Israelis to hold new elections.
The senators who signed the letter to Biden said his administration should propose a plan for peace that involves a series of governmental and institutional changes to the Palestinian Authority.
They specifically want to improve the Palestinian Authority’s education, judicial and security systems, and address corruption and incitement to violence in Palestinian territories.
They state that any Palestinian Authority governing the West Bank and Gaza must reconfirm its recognition of the State of Israel and commit to a mandate that Palestinian government ministers and senior officials accept the two-state principle and reject Hamas and any terrorist activity.
The senators also urged Biden to “lead and push the Israeli government” to reduce violence against Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
They expressed their disappointment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to engage in a path to a Palestinian state and called on the administration to pressure the Israeli government to stop home demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their property in the West Bank.
They demand that Israel stop making plans and building settlements in the West Bank, release customs revenues to the Palestinian Authority, and allow Palestinians from the West Bank to work in Israel again.
The senators wrote a letter suggesting that the United States can create a plan for recognizing a Palestinian state, which could lead to achieving a two-state solution and jumpstarting talks for a comprehensive peace plan in the region. They believe that this would benefit both Palestinians and their ally, Israel.
