Two State Solution Not Just for Palestinian People But Also for Israel, Scarborough Says
Israel and Palestinians need path forward after the Hamas conflict, he adds
Even after the current conflict with Hamas, the future of Israel rests on a two-state solution, according to a former Republican congressman who today is co-host of MSNBC's Morning Joe.
Too many political figures, both in Israel and the United States, have seemingly abandoned that as the path to peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike, said Joe Scarborough, who served as a congressman from Florida before becoming the co-host of MSNBC's long-running morning news program.
A two-state solution must be the way forward the day after the current conflict between Israel and Hamas is over, according to Scarborough said.
Israel and Palestinians have become engulfed in fighting in and around Gaza since Hamas launched coordinated attacks against Israel earlier this month.
A two-state solution historically has been the plan for Israelis and Palestinians, calling for “two States, Israel and Palestine … side by side within secure and recognized borders.”
It’s been US foreign policy since at least 1993 when the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) agreed on a plan to implement a two-state solution as part of the Oslo Accords, which was brokered by President Bill Clinton.
However, political figures — especially those on the right — have, in recent years, walked away from a commitment to a two-state solution.
“And, Claire, I am so glad you said that, because, I mean, Bibi Netanyahu has run away from that. U.S. leaders — the Trump administration — didn’t focus on that, obviously. It needs to be focused on again,” Scarborough said Friday during a discussion with former Democratic senator Claire McCaskill and his co-host, Mika Brzezinski. “And I say this as a strong supporter of Israel, Mika, I’ve always said this, we need a two-state solution.
“Not just for the Palestinian people, but also for the safety and long-term security of the Israeli people. You can’t do that with a terrorist organization next door like Hamas, so I get it. You couldn’t negotiate with Hamas,” he added. “But whoever replaces Hamas, if it is a U.N./Arab peacekeeping force and there is leadership there, they need to work for a two-state solution there and in the West Bank.”
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