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Following Britain's steps, the United States plans to recognize the State of Palestine. Photo/REUTERS
WASHINGTON – The United States (US) government plans to recognize the State of Palestine. Washington's move imitates the British government which will do the same thing.
The American government's plan was reported by Axios on Wednesday (31/1/2024) citing government officials from President Joe Biden.
After Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and Israel's brutal bombing of Gaza, America once again stated that the only way forward is a two-state solution—Israel and Palestine.
Countries in the Middle East have also said that the establishment of an independent Palestinian State would be a prerequisite for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
The current Israeli government under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly rejected calls to grant independent state status to Palestine.
“Efforts to find a diplomatic way out of the war in Gaza have opened the door to rethinking many long-standing US paradigms and policies,” a senior US official told Axios, on condition of anonymity.
The official, the Axios report continued, said that some officials in the Biden administration believe recognizing the State of Palestine may need to be the first step in negotiations to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The US State Department says it is actively pursuing the creation of an independent Palestinian State with real security guarantees for Israel.
“There are a number of ways you can achieve that. “There are a number of sequences of events you can undertake to achieve that goal,” US State Department spokesman Matt Miller told reporters.
When asked about the Axios report, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council told Al Arabiya English: “It has been long-standing US policy that any recognition of the State of Palestine should be carried out through direct negotiations between the parties and not through unilateral recognition at the UN. That policy has not changed.”
The report comes just days after British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Britain would soon recognize the State of Palestine.
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