Despite strong resistance from Israel, the Biden administration is exploring a plan to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, defying decades of U.S. foreign policy. The possible significant change in the US’s stance on Palestinian statehood, which has traditionally placed an emphasis on direct talks between Ramallah and Jerusalem. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked for a study of policy alternatives for the recognition of a Palestinian state when Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza ends, according to a report that cites two U.S. officials familiar with the issue.
The Biden Doctrine
The Biden administration has been promoting Palestinian statehood as part of a significant rapprochement agreement and regional security endeavor between Israel and Saudi Arabia in the months following the terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Before the Hamas attack, the Palestinian problem was supposedly not considered a significant barrier to a detente between Jerusalem and Riyadh; now, the Biden administration’s position appears to have changed, and the Saudis are now emphasizing a road to a Palestinian state as a requirement for normalization. According to a senior U.S. source, some in the Biden administration think that rather than being the final resort in negotiations to end the Israeli-Palestinian problem, unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state should be the first.
Diplomatic Engagement
This is in opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s philosophy, which is demonstrated by the 2020 Abraham Accords, which saw Israel forge diplomatic ties with Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco through an agreement mediated by the Trump administration. Netanyahu believes that deeper ties with the Arab world are essential to resolving the Palestinian issue. The right-wing and religious alliance led by Netanyahu is adamantly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.
The establishment of a Palestinian state is likewise met with strong hostility from the Israeli populace. In response to a question on whether they would accept the establishment of a “Palestinian” state alongside Israel, 66% of Jewish respondents to the most recent Tel Aviv University “Peace Index” study indicated they would not, while 27% said they would. The survey was conducted last week.
Human Rights and International Law
The Palestinians “would come into being only once they had developed a set of defined, credible institutions and security capabilities to ensure that this state was viable and that it could never threaten Israel,” according to Biden’s push for the potential recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip. Officials from the Biden administration have been discussing the many forms that this acknowledgment of Palestinian statehood may take with specialists both inside and outside the U.S. government.
The “Biden doctrine for the Middle East” would also take a firm stand against Iran, threatening military action against Iranian terror proxies in the area as payback for the drone assault that killed three American troops at a base in Jordan. Additionally, it would include normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia as part of a “vastly expanded” US-Saudi strategic cooperation.
Global Alliances
In addition, the Biden administration has a number of options at its disposal, such as encouraging other nations to recognize a Palestinian state, giving up its veto power against the United Nations Security Council admitting “Palestine” as a full member state, and bilaterally recognizing a state for Palestine. On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron announced that the United Kingdom was thinking about recognizing a state in Palestine.
On Thursday, Blinken is scheduled to have a meeting in Washington with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to talk about the Gaza conflict, preparations for the day after the combat in Gaza ceases, and normalization relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Dermer spoke similarly with Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor for the United States, on Wednesday. Furthermore, on February 3, Blinken will go on a three-day tour to Israel, marking his sixth visit to the Jewish state since Hamas’ October 7 invasion of the northwest Negev.
Conclusion
In conclusion, regarding the penalties, a senior US source stated that the President of the US has often voiced his worries about Israeli settlement violence. The official who wished to remain anonymous warned that these acts pose a major risk to the security, stability, and peace of Israel, the West Bank, and the Middle East. He clarified that settler violence ultimately hampered the creation of a Palestinian state. In violation of international law, over 490,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements in the West Bank alongside over 3,000,000 Palestinians.
