US Lawmakers Insist Palestinian State ‘Is the Only Way Forward for Israel’
The Israeli people need to choose different political leadership, Democrats say
US lawmakers are beginning to take a stand that the establishment of an effective, permanent Palestinian state alongside Israel is the only real solution to the violence currently engulfing the region.
They are also pushing for a long-term ceasefire as the fighting in Gaza is on a temporary pause while Hamas releases some of the hostages it took in its initial brutal attacks on October 7 which sparked the current bloodshed.
More than 13,000 Palestinian civilians -- including thousands of children -- have been killed during the Israeli reprisals for the October 7 Hamas rampage.
In Israel, the official death toll stands at about 1,200, mostly those who were killed in the initial attacks.
Israel now is beginning to face a backlash for its assault on Gaza.
The capabilities of Hamas have been degraded, but at what cost, according to Rep Ro Khanna, a California Democrat.
“Their military capability has been diminished with the bombing in northern Gaza, but their political support, it sometimes actually increases every time you have images of children and women killed,” Khanna said. “That's why there has to be a diplomatic solution. Until there is an independent Palestinian state, there is not going to be peace or security in that region, and America needs to show leadership.
“I believe our Gulf allies will help us if we bring the diverse Palestinian voices to the table. There needs to be one condition. Any Palestinian voice at that table needs to recognize the state of Israel, and then we need to work towards an independent Palestinian state,” he added.
The Israeli people should push their political leadership to pursue policies that lead to a Palestinian state, agreed Sen Chris Murphy, Democrat from Connecticut.
“Well, my sense is that, though the Israeli people may not be planning to have [Benjamin] Netanyahu as their prime minister for the long run, they are still united in their belief that there has to be accountability. And my hope is that, when they do go to the polls, that they choose leadership that is going to make good on the only future that guarantees the survival of a Jewish state in the Middle East, and that is a Palestinian state,” Murphy said. “Benjamin Netanyahu believed that you could ignore the Palestinians, that you could try to squash their desires for a state, and, ultimately, that would bring peace to the region of Israel. That's just not the case.
“Ultimately, the next government is going to have to put us back on a path to have a Palestinian state. That's not easy, but it is the only way forward for Israel. It is the only way forward for long-term peace,” he added.
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