US House Backs 2-State Solution in Critique of Trump, Netanyahu

The US House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution on Friday in support of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that this was the only framework that would enable Israel to remain Jewish and democratic and let Palestinians fulfill their aspirations for statehood. It was seen as a slam against Trump administration policies – moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, cutting aid to the Palestinians, and no longer considering West Bank settlements to be illegal – that are perceived to make a two-state solution harder to achieve. The bill explicitly discouraged unilateral annexation of territory or a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood. The former is considered a rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who has expressed support for unilateral annexation of the Jordan Valley and settlement blocs. The 226 to 188 vote was mainly along party lines but opposition to the bill came not only from Republicans but from four congresswomen from the left wing of the Democratic Party, who either support a one-state solution or were disappointed that the resolution emphasized the “special relationship” between the US and Israel and did not criticize Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.