State Department says US is actively pursuing creation of Palestinian state

By Simon Lewis and Humaira Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is actively pursuing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel and exploring options with partners in the region, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.

Matthew Miller declined to provide details about the department’s internal work on the issue, but told a news briefing that the effort has been an objective of President Joe Biden’s administration.

Miller said, “We are actively pursuing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with genuine security guarantees for Israel, because we believe that lasting peace and security for Israel, the Palestinians, and the region This is the best way to bring it.”

“There are many ways you can accomplish that. There are many permutations of events you can do to accomplish that objective. And we consider a wide range of options and we discuss them with partners.” do so do other partners in the region as well as within the United States government,” Miller said.

Axios reported earlier on Wednesday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had asked the State Department to review and present policy options on possible US and international recognition of Palestinian statehood following the war in Gaza.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also told a group of UK lawmakers that the UK government and its allies will consider the issue of recognizing Palestinian statehood, including through the United Nations, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

Washington is linking the creation of a Palestinian state to Saudi Arabia’s effort to normalize its ties with Israel – a push that largely stalled after an October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and wounded more than 250. Was taken hostage.

But in the last few months, talks have restarted. US officials are also now looking at a possible hostage deal that would free all remaining detainees in exchange for a continued ceasefire and would be tied to progress in the Saudi-Israeli normalization effort.

Speaking in Davos earlier this month, Blinken said there was a “new equation” in the Middle East in which Israel’s Arab and Muslim neighbors were ready to integrate Israel into the region, but not for a path to a Palestinian state. were equally committed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at odds with the Biden administration over the creation of an independent Palestinian state, saying over the weekend he would not compromise on “full Israeli security control over all areas west of the Jordan River.”

(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

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