U.S. Commits To Two-State Solution

US committed to two-state solution, Blinken tells Abbas

TOVAH LAZAROFF

The United States is committed to a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“We have prioritized reengagement with the Palestinian people and the PA,” said US State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

“This was an opportunity for the secretary, who has spoken with Abbas on a number of occasions already, to continue those conversations,” he said.

Blinken tweeted that he had a “good” conversation with the PA leader.

“We discussed strengthening the US-Palestinian relationship,” Blinken wrote.

Abbas's office said that Blinken has also committed to reopening its consulate-general mission in Jerusalem, which had served as a de-facto embassy to the PA until the Trump administration shut it down in 2019, according to the Palestine news agency WAFA.

Price did not confirm that part of the conversation when asked about in Washington.

“Blinken reiterated that Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve to live safely and securely, and enjoy equal measures of security, freedom and prosperity, and reaffirmed the US administration’s commitment to a two-state solution,” the State Department said in a readout of the conversation.

Abbas’s office said the PA president spoke with the secretary of state about the need to end the Israeli “occupation,” including halting settlement activity and settler violence. He spoke to Blinken about the importance of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount and about the fiscal crisis facing the PA.

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