All but two Senate Democrats have signed on to a resolution that calls for a two-state solution to the long-running conflict between Israel and Palestinians demanding their own nation.
Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin of West Virginia were the only members of the Democratic caucus not to back the statement, according to Reuters.
Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii proposed the amendment be tacked on to a bill that has yet to pass that would cover aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Manchin issued a statement, saying, “Once a Palestinian government with its peoples’ best interests at heart agrees that Israel should be a state, I will be the first one to sign on to a bipartisan amendment supporting that Israel recognize a Palestinian state.”
49 Senate democrats demand Israel agree to the creation of a new country which will be ruled by groups that offer cash rewards for killing Jews https://t.co/8aqZebhdpc
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 25, 2024
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Fetterman “strongly supports a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine and always has,” a representative told Axios.
“He also strongly believes that this resolution should include language stipulating the destruction of Hamas as a precondition to peace.”
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Schatz said he was working on the amendment but was triggered to action by comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposing a separate nation for Palestinians.
“What this does is tell people that there is hope for a peaceful and prosperous and healthy future,” he said. “It’s a message to Israel, but it’s also a message to Palestinians … It’s a message to the world that the only path forward is a two-state solution.”
Schatz said Netanyahu’s comments “are obviously very relevant here, but it’s not the final word on the question of the future of Israel and Palestine.
Schatz said that if the amendment is a deal-breaker, he would not insist it be attached to a military aid bill that has already been the subject of intense negotiations among the House, Senate and White House, according to Roll Call.
“Frankly speaking, the supplemental will be hard enough to land, and I am not in the business of increasing the degree of difficulty,” he said.
In a statement Sunday, Netanyahu affirmed he would not budge in his opposition to the two-state solution.
My insistence is what has prevented — over the years — the establishment of a Palestinian state that would have constituted an existential danger to Israel. As long as I am prime minister, I will continue to strongly insist on this,” he said, according to The New York Times.
That followed a social media comment from Netanyahu that he “will not compromise on full Israeli security control of the entire area west of the Jordan River — and that is irreconcilable with a Palestinian state.”
Democrats continued their push for a two-state solution in the House, where 44 Democratic members signed a letter supporting the creation of a Palestinian state, according to The Hill.
