EMET Strongly Opposes a Partisan, Biased, and Duplicative Resolution Imposing a Two-State Solution on Israel

(Washington, DC, December 6, 2019) Today, the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) expressed its strong opposition to H. Res. 326, a partisan, biased and duplicative resolution that seeks to impose on Israel a two-state solution, regardless of any negotiations with the Palestinian Arabs or the situation in Israel and the disputed territories.

H. Res. 326 was introduced by Rep. Alan Lowenthal D-CA. It expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict is through a two-state solution. It also expresses the sense that any U.S. proposal to achieve a solution should expressly endorse a two-state solution and discourage steps that would conflict with a two-state solution.  It has 192 House co-sponsors, but not a single Republican is among them.

The resolution is biased in favor of a two-state solution. This conflicts with the idea that the two parties alone in the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict should determine the final agreement through their negotiations.  By trying to enforce a two-state solution on both sides, the sponsors of this legislation are limiting future peace talks and taking off the table other options that might encourage peaceful coexistence.

The resolution is also biased in that it is one-sided in its’ criticisms directed at the Israeli government while barely acknowledging Palestinian actions that are in conflict with achieving a true peace. For example, the resolution does not acknowledge the Palestinian Authority’s practice of paying terrorists and the families of terrorists who commit acts of violence against Israelis, nor does it mention the terrorist group Hamas’ control of the Gaza Strip and ongoing attacks on Israel, including attacks targeting civilians.

This resolution also duplicates prior and better worded resolutions expressing U.S. support for a two-state solution in the 116th Congress.  Both H. Res. 246, which expresses the House’s opposition to the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and H. Res. 138, which commends Arab and Muslim-majority states for improving relations with Israel, contain bipartisan re-affirmations of the House’s support for a negotiated two-state solution.  Therefore, the limiting and narrow language of the partisan H. Res. 326 seems to be repetitive and unnecessary.

EMET strongly believes that a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should come from the Israeli and Palestinian sides through negotiations,” said EMET President Sarah Stern. She continued, “We don’t believe it is anyone’s place to enforce a solution, including a two-state solution. Otherwise, we are limiting both parties in their future peace talks and taking off many other options to reach peace. Article 3 of H. Res. 326 states that a two-state solution is consistent with the previous United States proposals, but ignores the current United States policy on the matter. In the past 26 years we have seen many proposals and forced negotiations but have not seen the resulting peace that was promised. As a-matter-of-fact, each piece of land that Israel has relinquished in the pursuit of peace, including Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005, has been used as a launching-pad for terrorist organizations to launch missiles on the Israeli civilian population. We also believe that a true peace between Israel and the Palestinians will only come about, if and when a Palestinian leader emerges that truly shares that objective of peace, and teaches that objective to the Palestinian children. The U.S. needs to learn the lessons of the last 26 years, and pursue a true peace that will endure long after the ink on the paper is dry. And the true litmus test to that is contingent upon what the Palestinians teach the next generation.”