NEW YORK – The Republican Jewish Coalition issued a statement Tuesday condemning President Joe Biden’s push for a two-state solution.
Biden’s administration has unequivocally stood by achieving peace through the creation of a Palestinian state, which the White House and State Department have reiterated. Biden expressed this stance on his most recent call last week with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who the day before publicly denounced a two-state plan.
The RJC statement from Chairman Senator Norm Coleman and CEO Matt Brooks said they’re deeply troubled by the Biden administration’s growing pressure on Israel to commit to the creation of a Palestinian state.
“Genuine solidarity with Israel requires a clear understanding of the difficult realities confronting the people and government of the Jewish state. Today, Israel is at war against the monstrous terrorists who perpetrated the October 7th atrocities, dozens of Israelis remain captives of Hamas, and no Palestinian faction has condemned the horror that led to the current crisis,” the statement said.
“In these circumstances, Israelis across the political spectrum are united behind the objectives of eradicating Hamas as a threat to Israel and securing the return of all the hostages,” according to the statement. “Until those objectives are accomplished, pressuring the Jewish state to make irreversible and potentially perilous long-term diplomatic commitments is a grave failure to live up to America’s proud history of standing with Israel against its deadly enemies.
Republicans push back
The RJC said the Biden administration’s efforts will fail if they are based on a denial of that history and a refusal to admit the catastrophic failings of today’s Palestinian leadership.The statement also said the Biden administration is wrong to assume that Jewish Americans support its pressure on Israel.“We urge members of Congress to use all the tools at their disposal to push back against the Biden administration’s misguided efforts and prevent the nightmare scenario of a terrorist state on Israel’s borders,” according to the statement.
Jewish Democratic Council of America CEO Halie Soifer told The Jerusalem Post that JDCA and the vast majority of Jewish Americans support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“However distant a two-state solution currently appears, it remains the best and only path to ensure Israel’s future as a secure, Jewish, and democratic state. We support President Biden’s efforts to work toward a two-state solution, while strongly supporting Israel’s security and right to self-defense,” Soifer said. “We also support humanitarian aid for innocent Palestinians and know that these policies are not mutually exclusive.”