President Biden is so far making good on his promise to reverse the Trump administration’s Israel policy, with a top official vowing the Democrat will support a two-state solution in the Middle East.
Richard Mills, acting U.S. envoy to the United Nations, told the Security Council on Tuesday that the United States encourages Israel and Palestinians “to avoid unilateral steps that make a two-state solution more difficult, such as annexation of territory, settlement activity, demolition, incitement to violence and providing compensation for individuals imprisoned for acts of terrorism.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated the administration’s intentions in the Arab world, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
“The president’s view continues to be that a two-state solution is the only path forward,” Psaki said.
In addition to taking steps to create an environment where a two-state solution may be possible, Mills said the Biden administration aims to restore Palestinian aid and reopen the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington, according to a report by Reuters.
Under Trump, the U.S. cut around $360 million in annual funding for the U.N. agency supporting Palestinian refugees.
On the campaign trail, Biden warned peace would be impossible in the Middle East if Israel didn’t stop its threats of annexation. He said last May that he was committed to Israel and hoped to help the nation maintain its “qualitative military edge” while taking steps toward peace.
Despite reversing Trump administration policies, the Biden administration will aim to continue Trump’s trajectory of normalizing international ties with Israel. Under the former president, the U.S. secured agreements with four Arab states, which include the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, to begin normalizing relations with Israel.
Mills added, however, that normalizing ties is “not substitute for Israeli-Palestinian peace.”
Trump also moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that was viewed as solidifying the latter as the nation’s true capital. The Biden administration plans to keep the embassy in Jerusalem.
