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Blinken announces US draft of ceasefire to UN, as Senate Dems call for ‘two-state solution’ for Israel, Hamas

March 21, 2024 | | Print Article

Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) and 18 of his Democrat colleagues have penned a letter to President Biden, urging his administration to “establish a bold, public framework for the U.S. to recognize a nonmilitarized Palestinian state.”

“We call on you to continue to take bold diplomatic action during this time of crisis,” the senators wrote. “It is our firm belief that only with two states for two peoples – an independent Israel alongside an independent Palestinian state – will we see enduring peace in the region and safety and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

“Given the severity of the current crisis, this moment requires determined U.S. leadership that must move beyond facilitation,” they continued. “As such, we request the Biden Administration promptly establish a bold, public framework outlining the steps necessary for the U.S. to recognize a nonmilitarized Palestinian state, which includes the West Bank and Gaza, to be governed by a revitalized and reformed Palestinian Authority.”

The letter comes days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — “the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history,” according to The Hill — was taken to task for suggesting from the Senate floor, that there should be a new election in the Jewish state to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Schumer said was an “obstacle to peace.”

On X, Sen. Carper claimed that imposing a “two-state solution” on a foreign sovereign nation was the only path to “enduring peace.”

“As I’ve said for decades,” he wrote, “the road to enduring peace in the region depends entirely on a two-state solution, and the U.S. must continue to take decisive action to bring about a resolution to this conflict once and for all.”

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To make sure Israel and the terrorists who want to see them wiped off the face of the map play nice, Carper and his colleagues think the United States should include in its “framework” a “set of governmental and institutional reforms to the Palestinian Authority, among them reforms to democracy and governance.”

Because “institutional reforms” imposed by a sworn enemy of the Hamas terrorists who rule Palestine are sure to smooth over their bloodthirsty drive to slaughter Jews.

Among the reforms, Carper suggests “Reforms to the education system; Reforms to the judicial and security systems; Reforms to the prisoner payments program; and, Concerted efforts to combat corruption and incitement to violence.”

After all, that worked out really well for everyone when the Taliban in Afghanistan promised to “reform.”

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The U.S. framework should also include “A requirement for the reformed Palestinian Authority, as the governing body of the West Bank and Gaza, to reaffirm its recognition of the State of Israel” and “A mandate within the reformed Palestinian Authority for government ministers and senior officials to commit to nonviolence, accept the principles of two states – an Israeli and a Palestinian state – and renounce Hamas and all terrorist activity.”

The senators continued:

Only with the success of the aforementioned initiatives and regional support for a two-state solution can the State of Israel exist with security and Israelis live without fear. We recognize that in order for this framework to be achieved, the Israeli government must take parallel steps, beginning with facilitating a major surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza and enabling the process of rebuilding Gaza. While we have been particularly disappointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to engage on a path to a Palestinian state, we believe that this provides even more reason for the Biden Administration to lead and push the Israeli government to take the following additional actions:

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  • Take effective action against settler violence in the West Bank;
  • End home demolitions, including evictions of Palestinians from their property;
  • Stop settlement planning and construction in the West Bank;
  • Release customs revenues to the Palestinian Authority; and,
  • Reactivate permits for Palestinian workers from the West Bank to enter Israel

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is reportedly considering asking Netanyahu to address Congress, The Hill reports.

“A source familiar with the matter said a range of options are being discussed for Netanyahu to speak with lawmakers, including a joint session of Congress,” according to the outlet. “The prospect was brought up in the House GOP’s closed-door conference meeting Wednesday morning, the source said.”

“It’s one of the things that we have in mind, and we may try to arrange for that,” Johnson told reporters. “I think it’s very important for us to show solidarity and support for Israel right now in their time of great struggle, and we certainly stand for that position and we’ll try to advance that in every way that we can.”

And, as the House and the Senate battle over who in the United States should tell the Middle East what to do, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday that the U.S. has issued to the United Nations Security Council a draft resolution calling for the immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The release of hostages would reportedly be tied to the cease-fire.

“We’re pressing for an immediate ceasefire tied to the release of hostages. That would bring immediate relief to so many people who are suffering in Gaza – the children, the women, the men,” Blinken told Saudi media outlet Al Hadath, according to the New York Post.

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“We actually have a resolution that we put forward right now that’s before the United Nations Security Council that does call for an immediate ceasefire tied to the release of hostages, and we hope very much that countries will support that,” Blinken stated. “I think that would send a strong message, a strong signal.”

On X, users told Sen. Carper what they thought of his proposed framework:

“A Two state solution is a canard,” one user told Carper. “Is it so easy for a Senator to know nothing?

“The Arabs refused the state you propose nine times. This is about Islamic hatred of Jews which they have put their entire effort into. How do you propose to wrest the land from Israel?”

Melissa Fine
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