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By Rachel Dobkin
Weekend Reporter
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President Joe Biden has been calling for a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians but has fallen short of recognizing a Palestinian state, and it remains to be seen if he will join a growing number of other countries who are doing so.
On Wednesday, Norway, Ireland, and Spain committed to recognizing a Palestinian state next Tuesday. This is a significant show of support for the Palestinians whose homes in Gaza have been bombed by Israel during its war with Hamas. Currently, 142 of the 193 countries in the United Nations already recognize a Palestinian state, according to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. The U.S. is not included in this list.
Last October, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history, which led Israel to retaliate. Some 1,200 people were killed by the Hamas force and roughly 250 hostages were taken. Roughly 100 hostages are still in captivity. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
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The U.S. has remained loyal to its ally Israel during the war, but the Biden administration has continued to call for a two-state solution in hopes that it would bring peace to the region. In the two-state solution, the Palestinians, who currently occupy the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, would get a recognized state alongside Israel. This solution would also theoretically benefit Israel as it would lead to a more secure state.
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When asked if Biden would recognize a Palestinian state at this point, a National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson told Newsweek via email on Wednesday, "The President is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and has been throughout his career. He believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition."
In a White House address from October, Biden said, "As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution," adding, "Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace."
On Sunday, during a commencement speech at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, Biden said he has been continuing his work on a two-state solution as well as a temporary ceasefire to get the remaining hostages in Gaza out and more humanitarian aid in.
Biden called the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "heartbreaking."
"That's why I've called for an immediate ceasefire … I've been working on a deal as we speak. We're going around the clock … I'm working to make sure we finally get a two-state solution," he said.
The two-state solution has been a goal for lasting peace in the Middle East among the international community decades before the Israel-Hamas war. However, it's unclear when, and if, this goal will ever come into fruition.
While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reached a boiling point during Hamas' October attack, tensions have been simmering for years.
During an outbreak of violence between the two groups in May 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the Biden administration's commitment to a two-state solution while appearing on ABCs This Week.
"Look, ultimately, it is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state and, of course, the only way to give the Palestinians the state to which they're entitled," he said. "That's where we have to go.
"But that, I don't think, is something necessarily for today," Blinken said. "We have to start putting in place the conditions that would allow both sides to engage in a meaningful and positive way toward two states."
Is a Two-State Solution Possible?
When asked if a two-state solution is even possible, Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., an international security think tank, told Newsweek via text message on Wednesday, "It is very hard to see how this happens absent [without] a radical shift in Israel that goes beyond getting rid of the current government.
"Israel has never recognized a Palestinian state—not even under the Oslo accords—and over the past decades has increasingly eaten up the West Bank with settlements.
"Now Israel is once again occupying Gaza, which is in ruins after 8 months of heavy bombardment. That said, Zionism was a movement for nearly 100 years before Israel achieved independence. If no Palestinian state is established, Israel will either lose its Jewish identity or its democracy. Right now, the latter looks more likely unfortunately."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained his resistance to a two-state solution, despite pressure from Biden to create a plan for lasting peace in the region.
Netanyahu said in a statement in Hebrew in January, "My insistence is what has prevented—over the years—the establishment of a Palestinian state that would have constituted an existential danger to Israel," adding "As long as I am prime minister, I will continue to strongly insist on this."
Newsweek reached out to Netanyahu's office via online form for comment.
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