Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has ordered a review of the prospects for U.S. and global recognition of a Palestinian state following the end of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In the review, Axios reported on WednesdayThe plan aims to present the Biden administration with a range of options, including admitting Palestine to the United Nations as a full member state and encouraging other countries to recognize a Palestinian state.
Separately, Blinken reportedly called for a review of the model for a demilitarized Palestinian state based on other countries around the world, such as Grenada after the 1983 US invasion.
The analysis marks a rethink of U.S. policy as officials grapple with the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamast terrorist attack on Israel, which killed an estimated 1,200 people and took about 200 hostages. , more than half of whom are still detained. Gaza.
The State Department’s review also appears to be a response to Saudi officials, who, Axios reports, have made an “irreparable commitment” to a Palestinian state as a condition for possible normalization of relations with Israel. It is said that he insists on this path both publicly and privately.
U.S. policy had long been to oppose recognition of a Palestinian state unless it was achieved through direct negotiations with the Jewish state and the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, but it lost power in Gaza in 2007.
But Axios reported that some Biden administration officials are considering recognizing Palestinian statehood as a first step in negotiations rather than a final outcome.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have been worried about the prospects for establishing a Palestinian state since the October 7 attacks.
“[Israel] We need security control over all territory west of the Jordan River,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said at a press conference on January 18, warning that the Palestinian state would be a launching pad for future attacks.
“I say that to my American friends and put the brakes on any attempt to force upon us a reality that endangers the state of Israel,” he added.
In other statements, Netanyahu publicly laid out the “three pillars” for peace in the region. It is the destruction of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, and the deradicalization of Palestinian society, similar to Germany and Japan after World War II.
Critics were appalled by the implications of this review.
“The idea of rewarding corruption and systemic failure, let alone terrorist financing, strikes me as insane.” Jonathan Schanzervice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote about X.
National Review senior reporter Noah Rothman said the State Department was “totally out of touch with local realities.” The concept of nation is written as follows The country “Palestine” is “fiction”.
“In particular, the State Department’s overwhelming frustration with an uncooperative world suggests that in the absence of a reliable Palestinian negotiator, it appears inclined to simply impose statehood on the Palestinian territories. It’s telling,” Rothman said.
The State Department declined to comment Wednesday night.
