Joe Biden his support for a two-state resolution
"Two states along the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, remains the best way to achieve equal measures of security prosperity freedom and democracy for the Palestinians as well as Israelis. “The Palestinian people deserve a state of their own that is independent, sovereign, viable and continuous,” Biden said. Despite this, he said, the ground is "not ripe" at "this moment to restart negotiations."
Biden's words fell far short of the Palestinian demands, which included the resumption of peace talks and unilateral immediate recognition of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. But his speech was markedly different from that of his predecessor Donald Trump, who in his visit to Bethlehem in 2017, didn't even mention the words "two states" in his address.
Biden, unlike any of his predecessors since the 1993 Oslo Accords, has not pushed forward an Israel-Palestinian peace process. Trump in contrast spoke of the "Deal of the Century" he planned to conclude with Israelis and Palestinians. The peace plan Trump unveiled in 2020 recognized two states but ignored the pre-1967 lines. It spoke of a deal that gave Israel 30% of the West Bank and the Palestinians only a small fraction of east Jerusalem.
Biden in Bethlehem on Friday restored the two-state concept based on the pre-1967 lines, which had also been the policy during the Obama administration. Earlier in the day, Biden made waves when he visited an east Jerusalem hospital in an armored vehicle without an Israeli flag or the accompaniment of any Israeli officials. The visit, the first one by a President to an east Jerusalem location out of the Old City, was seen by the Israeli Right as a nod in the direction of acceptance of east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Hours later the White House issued a statement, in which it clarified that Biden in his conversation with Abbas had underscored US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The President "reiterated the U.S. position that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and that it continues to be the policy of the United States that the specific boundaries of sovereignty in Jerusalem must be resolved through final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians," the White House said.
"He further reaffirmed the need to preserve the historic status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem, recognizing the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as custodian," the White House added.
In his public remarks in Bethlehem, Biden however, spoke of Jerusalem as central to ' the national visions of both Israelis and Palestinians" as he called on the need to uphold the status quo in the city's holy sites.
Although he did not believe the time was right for Israeli-Palestinian peace, Biden said, it is possible to use Israel's new ties with its neighbors to improve relations with the Palestinians. “At this moment, when Israel is improving relations with nations throughout the region we can harness that same momentum to reinvigorate the peace process between the Palestinian people and the Israelis,” Biden said.
To help improve Palestinian day-to-day life, Biden said, he was pledging an additional $200 million to the United Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees. Biden also referenced the pledge he made earlier in the day when he visited Augusta Victoria hospital in east Jerusalem for $100 million for Palestinian health care services in east Jerusalem.
The United States has engaged with Israel on steps to improve life for Palestinians, Biden said, adding that this includes the provision of a 4G internet system for Palestinians, renewable energy and freedom of movement for goods and people.
Biden acknowledged the loss of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in May while covering an IDF raid in Jenin. The US has said that is likely she was accidentally shot by an IDF soldier. "She was an American citizen and a proud Palestinian," whose work was vital to democracy, Biden said. "The US will continue to insist on a full and transparent accounting of her death," he said.
Biden also called on the Palestinian Authority to institute reform measures. "Now is the time to strengthen Palestinian institutions, to improve governance, transparency, and accountability," Biden said. "All of this work is critical. And it will help build a society that can support a successful, democratic future, and a future Palestinian state. And the United States will work with you, President Abbas, at every step," Biden said.
Separately, the White House on Friday announced additional gestures to the Palestinians including an understanding from Israel that it would allow the Allenby crossing in the Jordan Valley that connects to neighboring Jordan to be open 24 hours a day as of the end of September.
A "working group will consider steps to establish Palestinian Authority presence on Allenby Bridge while maintaining Israel’s security consideration," White House said.
Tovah Lazaroff, Sarah Ben-Nun