The White House has revealed President Biden's stance on "recognizing the State of Palestine," despite his support for a two-state solution to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The White House announced that Biden opposes "unilateral recognition" of the State of Palestine, shortly after Ireland, Norway, and Spain announced their recognition of Palestine starting from May 28.
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated that Biden is "a strong proponent of the two-state solution and has been throughout his career." However, she added that he "believes that the establishment of a Palestinian state must be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition," as she expressed.
The spokesperson did not directly refer to the decision by the three European countries, all of which are close to the United States, to officially recognize the State of Palestine.
Biden and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken are pressuring Israel to proceed with a timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state. However, Washington recently used its veto power against an attempt in the United Nations Security Council to recognize Palestine, stating that recognition can only come through negotiations that take into account Israel's security interests.
International efforts over decades have failed to achieve a "two-state solution," in which Israel coexists alongside a Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza.
Hope for this issue has dimmed with the outbreak of war in Gaza over seven months ago, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's steadfast rejection of a two-state solution.
Israel invaded Gaza following a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and health officials in the strip report that the death toll in Gaza has risen to over 35,000.
The Biden administration has not concealed its hope of mediating a long-term multilateral arrangement leading to the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. In this context, Saudi Arabia demands an end to the conflict in Gaza and a pathway to a Palestinian state, a prospect that is unlikely to be accepted by Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition.
