The State Department announced Wednesday that the Biden administration remains committed to a “two-state solution” between Israel and the Palestinians, but opposes Palestinian efforts to negotiate statehood at the United Nations.
Palestinian delegation to the United Nations Said The country’s government on Wednesday wants the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to vote by the end of this month on granting the Palestinians full membership in the United Nations, which would give them the title of a Palestinian state. It’s equivalent to that.
The Palestinians first submitted a formal application for UN membership in 2011. Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour (pictured) said that since 140 countries already recognized the Palestinians as an independent state, it was time for the United Nations to ratify that recognition, well ahead of any negotiations. The Israeli government is complete.
“We are recruiting students. It is our natural legal right,” Mansour said. Said. “Everyone is talking about a ‘two-state solution,’ so what is the logic behind refusing to become a member state?”
I was asked about the UN’s efforts. Press conference On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the Biden administration opposes the effort, but did not say the U.S. could use a Security Council veto to block it. . He also declined to speculate on whether Palestine’s efforts to become a full member of the United Nations will be successful.
“So I’m not going to speculate about what’s going to happen,” Miller told reporters. “However, while we support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, we have seen the Secretary conduct very intensive diplomacy over the past few months toward the establishment of a secure Palestinian state. “It’s supposed to be,” he has always clarified. For Israel, that should be done through direct negotiations through the parties, not through the United Nations, which is what we are pursuing at the moment. ”
Palestine Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour speaks to the press with a delegation after a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to vote on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, March 25, 2024. Members of the United Nations Security Council discussed calls for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Miller also sidestepped White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby’s statement on Tuesday that there was no evidence that Israel’s military actions violated international law.
“We are in the process of looking at that very issue at the State Department, and while we have not concluded at this time that Israel has violated international humanitarian law, it is a very ongoing process on this issue,” Miller said. stated and suggested. The Biden administration wants to keep the option of condemning Israel open even after the war. Gaza airstrike Seven international aid workers were killed in the incident on Monday.
Miller became extremely uncomfortable when asked follow-up questions about what specifically the Biden team was doing to assess the Israeli airstrikes and other allegations of inappropriate military action in Gaza. Ta.
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour speaks to reporters at a stakeout after the Security Council meeting and vote on a resolution on the Israel-Gaza conflict at United Nations Headquarters. The resolution was proposed by elected members of the Security Council. The resolution was adopted with one abstention (United States). (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“We have made it clear that we do not intend to discuss the details of internal deliberations or how that process will proceed,” he said. “There are a number of offices within the State Department that are involved in these assessments, but I will not discuss the exact details.”
Biden administration abstained Last week, the United States announced that it would not veto a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as it has done in the past with resolutions targeting Israel, but that China and Russia could protect their allies. I stopped voting on resolutions, as I do on a daily basis.
The abstention was particularly important because the Security Council resolution did not condemn Hamas for the atrocities committed on October 7, when the Gaza war began, and the cease-fire call was not conditional on the release of hostages still held by the terrorists. This angered the Israeli government.
