Blinken reaffirms US support for two-state solution ahead of trip to Middle East

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking ahead of a trip to the Middle East, reaffirmed yesterday US support for a two-state solution as the only way to provide hope to Israelis and Palestinians that they can live “with equal measures of security, of peace and dignity.”

His remarks came days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire, halting 11 days of mutual bombardment that killed more than 200 Palestinians.

“If there isn’t positive change, and if we can’t find a way to help Palestinians live with more — with more dignity and with more hope, this cycle is likely to repeat itself, and that is in no one’s interest,” Blinken said.

The State Department announced that Blinken will travel to the Middle East “in the coming days,” with plans to meet with Israeli, Palestinian and regional counterparts.

Blinken’s support for a two-state solution — the vision of Israel and a Palestinian state living peacefully side by side — restates a long-time US goal, though he conceded that this was not “necessary for today.”

But his remarks about “equal measures” for Israelis and Palestinians seemed to shift the tone from Donald Trump’s administration, which cut aid to the Palestinian Authority and issued a Middle East peace plan with strong Israeli backing but no support from Palestinians.