The Biden government today outlined its policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stressed its intention to renew ties with the Palestinian Authority.
Why it matters: The Trump administration has dramatically changed US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Biden’s policies, outlined for the first time today, will move the US back to the more traditional positions held by previous Democratic and Republican governments.
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Send the news: The policy was presented by the acting US Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Mills, during a monthly meeting on the Middle East in the UN Security Council.
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Mills said the Biden government would support a two-state solution, which he said was “the best way to ensure Israel remains a democratic and Jewish state.”
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He added that the new government would base its policies on consultations with both sides – the Trump administration, on the other hand, had barely spoken to the Palestinians for three years.
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Referring to the major gaps between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Mills said the administration believes it should be its goal to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution in the future, while focusing on improving the situation. on the ground, especially in Gaza.
Mills said Biden would encourage Israel and the Palestinians to avoid unilateral steps that could make it more difficult to find a solution for two states – such as annexation, settlement construction, the demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel and the payments to Palestinian terrorists.
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He said the Biden administration would renew ties with the Palestinian Authority, which boycotted Trump’s government after he moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
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Mills added that the US would renew economic and humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and reopen diplomatic missions concluded by the Trump administration – such as the PLO office in Washington and the US Consulate General in Jerusalem.
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He added that the Biden government will oppose unilateral or biased resolutions that exclude Israel in international forums.
What’s next: Mills said Biden welcomed the normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries, but did not see them as a substitute for Israeli and Palestinian peace. He added that Biden wanted to promote further normalization agreements in a way that would increase the pressure on a two-state solution.
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