With Bipartisan Letter, 191 Representatives Stand up for Two-State Solution

March 24, 2017

J Street welcomes a bipartisan letter to President Trump, signed by 191 Members of Congress, which urges the President to reaffirm the United States’ longstanding support for a just and lasting two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Authored by Reps. David Price (NC-4) and Gerry Connolly (VA-11), the letter garnered the support of almost the entirety of the House Democratic caucus. It is a powerful statement of Congressional support for American leadership toward a two-state solution, at a time when President Trump is equivocating on whether he prefers a one-state or two-state approach to resolving the conflict

Support for the two-state solution has been a cornerstone of US foreign policy in the region for decades. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have led efforts to facilitate negotiations towards a comprehensive agreement based on the principle of two states for two peoples.

“With this letter, Members of Congress are making clear to President Trump: The US must stand unequivocally behind the two-state solution,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, President of J Street. “Policies or rhetoric that enable a one-state nightmare endanger Israel’s future. While some in Washington want to champion the settlement movement and drag American policy far to the right, a growing number of elected leaders are determined to push back.”

J Street has advocated for the Price-Connolly letter over the past few weeks. Hundreds of J Street activists urged Members of Congress to sign the letter during J Street’s National Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill in late February, the culmination of the organization’s Sixth National Conference in Washington D.C.

The letter makes clear that without a two-state outcome, Israel’s secure future as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people remains in jeopardy and legitimate Palestinian aspirations cannot be fulfilled. It emphasizes the role that the US can and must play in facilitating peace negotiations and opposing counter-productive unilateral actions taken by either side.

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