Senate Democrat says Netanyahu has ‘shut the door’ on two-state solution – By Miranda Nazzaro (The Hill) / Dec 17, 2023
Democratic Sen. Van Hollen (Md.) on Sunday argued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “shut the door” on efforts for a two-state solution after the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Asked on ABC News’s “This Week” about Netanyahu’s recent comment that he was “proud” he prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state, Van Hollen called it a “direct response” to President Biden’s call for a two-state solution, which the senator described as the “only political settlement that’s viable.”
“He [Netanayu] has continued to weaken the Palestinian Authority — this is the organization that recognized Israel’s right to exist decades and decades ago,” Van Hollen said. “Instead of trying to find peace or at least preventing the conditions on the ground from changing with additional settlements to allow a two-state solution, he has shut the door on that effort.”
Biden has repeatedly expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas’s Oct. 7 incursion while also reiterating a push for a two-state solution down the road that would see the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
