(Washington) More than a third of Democratic members of the US Senate on Wednesday called on President Joe Biden to push further for the creation of a Palestinian state, at a time when Washington is increasingly displaying its impatience with its relative Israeli partner.
This initiative comes a few days after the surprise speech by the leader of the Democratic senators in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, calling for new elections in Israel and openly criticizing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for its management of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
The crisis in the Middle East “has reached a critical point” which requires the United States to do more than just “facilitate” discussions between Israelis and Palestinians, write in an open letter the 19 senators led by Tom Carper, political partner of Joe Biden for years.
“We therefore ask the Biden administration to quickly put in place and make public a solid plan detailing the necessary measures” for the creation of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, they add.
“No advice” to give
Their Republican colleagues, whose strong support for Israel has not changed, spoke at the beginning of the afternoon with Israeli Prime Minister Benajamin Netanyahu, by videoconference.
“He gave us a presentation and we asked him questions,” said Republican tenor Mitch McConnell. “I made it clear to him that the United States has no business giving a democratic ally advice on holding elections or what type of military campaign to conduct. »
The Israeli Prime Minister also spoke early in the morning with the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson.
The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip has left nearly 32,000 dead, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, in this territory where famine threatens and where humanitarian aid is difficult to deliver.
The war began after the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,160 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli sources. .
If Joe Biden and his head of diplomacy Antony Blinken say they support the “two-state solution”, their words remain declarations of intent.
And Benjamin Netanyahu, at the head of a government with several far-right ministers, is categorically opposed to it.