Four US Democratic lawmakers warn against sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, stress importance of two-state solution.
By Elad Benari, Canada, 12/04/19 21:14
Four top US Democratic lawmakers on Friday warned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu not to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, AFP reported.
Netanyahu last week said in a television interview that he will apply Israeli sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria if he is re-elected. Netanyahu’s Likud party won 36 seats in this week’s Knesset elections.
Earlier this week Netanyahu said that he had already begun laying the groundwork for annexation, and had broached the idea with senior Trump administration officials, adding that the process hadn’t been implemented yet because it “takes time”.
In a joint statement on Friday, the four lawmakers, including Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said they backed Israel’s security but were “greatly concerned” about prospects that the Jewish state will unilaterally annex parts of Judea and Samaria.
“We hope that any security measures are implemented within the context of preserving the eventual possibility of a two-state solution,” they wrote, according to AFP.
“Two states for two peoples, negotiated directly by the two sides, with mutually agreed-upon land swaps, is the best option to achieve a Jewish, democratic, secure Israel living side-by-side with a democratic, demilitarized Palestinian state.”
The statement was also signed by House Appropriations Committee chair Nita Lowey, Ted Deutch — who heads the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East — and Brad Schneider, another Democratic congressman known for his support of Israel.
All four lawmakers are longtime backers of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and broke with their party to oppose the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran negotiated under president Barack Obama.
The letter comes as the Trump administration prepares to present its peace plan for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. While little is known about the details of the plan, US officials said this week that the plan will demand compromises from both sides.
On Tuesday, when asked about the two-state solution by a Senate subcommittee, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would only say, “Ultimately the Israelis and Palestinians will decide how to resolve this.”
Michael S
In this relationship between Israel and the US the latter is the problem. It is the relationship which you obviously laud that IS the problem.
Furthermore in the context of declining capitalism the US will never under either party fight for a state in which Jews can live alone and be free from antisemitism.
And anything else is a trap for Jews inviting another Holocaust of the Jews.
There is also the suggestion by many on Israpundit which is: The Democrats bad the Republicans good!
This is false. The issue of Assange shows that Trump and his regime just like the Democrats have no friends only people they can use.
Adam Dalgliesh is partly right. People like Ted Belman lead into a trap because they offer the false hope that Trump has a solution here.
I favor a two state solution. Two states:
1. Israel
2. the US
Each taking care of its own needs.
Of course there are no quick fixes. Whoever thought there might be….like the Rabin-Peres-Beilln conspiracy were traitors in what they did. There IS no enemy state, and has NOT been -so far…. so nothing really has changed. That the “so-called International Community is (Anti-Semitically) fixated on it meant nothing to Israel’s actions other than a moderate and slightly complex political manoeuvering.
The REAL progress would be to begin to get rid of them from out of the Land. Nothing else is as important as that, because whilst they occupy contiguous real estate that we own, and we can handle that as we do, they are always the same murderous toxic waste, preventing us from using our own property the way we want to…..
@ Edgar G.:Progress would be a plan with:
NO Pal State,
Acceptance of Israeli Sovereignty in Area C or all Jewish Towns
Concept of Jordan taking responsibility of Palestinians
That would be a start. The terrorists including PA & PLO, Hamas would need to be dealt with, including in Gaza long term.
Getting away from the two state concept and starting to actually work on a new paradigm is a serious step in the right direction. That is what is important to me. There are no quick fixes to the conflict.
@ Bear Klein:
Let’s say that so far, the relationship seems about a third cousin…Ted’s Plan is vitally interwoven with Mudar Zahran’s own outlook. Without him at the helm, regardless of the partial comparison, nothing can be even tentatively assured.
Is Ted basically correct? That the Jordan Option or Jordan is the Palestinian State is more or less the Trump Peace Plan? Based on the report below it starting to sound a likelihood. Minimally it sounds like no Pal State west of the Jordan River is likely in the plan. Hopefully that is fact the case!
US Dems are consistent at least they do NOT defend the sovereignty of US borders either. They do not care if MS13 or other gangs are infiltrating US. So why should they care if the Arabs run over Israel.
By the way they these phony good for nothings should stop telling Israelis what do in their own country. They are as I said Consistent – Clueless all the time!
@ leonkushner:
Agreed!!!!!!
Anyone who still believes in the Two State solution is deranged. But that’s nothing new with the progressive/liberal,socialist/Marxist Democratic Party.
It’s Israel’s territory. Nothing to annex. Engel and the rest of those treacherous Americans need to shut the F up and mind their own business.