Washington, USA (CNN)– US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that President Joe Biden conveyed “his vision for a more sustainable peace and security for Israel, fully integrated into the region, and a two-state solution while ensuring Israel’s security” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during their first contact. Since December 23.
Kirby said that the US President “confirmed his strong conviction in the possibility of implementing the two-state solution, realizing of course that we will not get there tomorrow, and that there is an active conflict going on, and so we want to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself.”
On Thursday, Netanyahu said that the idea of establishing a Palestinian state would conflict with Israel’s security. He said: “In any future arrangement… Israel needs security control over all the lands west of Jordan. This contradicts the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty. What can you do?”
Sources told CNN that US officials will not let Netanyahu’s clear rejection of eventual Palestinian statehood prevent them from pressuring their Israeli counterparts on the matter.
Kirby acknowledged the uphill battle facing a two-state solution in the region, and said that Biden “still believes in the promise of the possibility of a two-state solution,” but “realizes that it will take a lot of hard work.”
Kirby stressed that Biden is not overly optimistic without being realistic about the possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian state. “The hope is that when this conflict ends, we will be able to work in a cooperative way with the Israeli government and our counterparts in the region on good governance in Gaza, good governance that the president hopes will lead to a viable two-state solution,” he said.
He added: “He understands how difficult this is, and it is something he has been pushing for for a very long time. He knows that it will take dedicated leadership from all parties to make this happen, and that means continued engagement by his administration and the national security team. So, we will continue this work.”
Kirby did not reveal Netanyahu’s response to Biden’s statements, and referred questions regarding “the prime minister’s side of the conversation” to the Israelis.
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2024-01-19 19:45:59