Former president Joe Biden. (Shutterstock)
US State Department reportedly asked to prepare options for possible recognition of Palestinian state.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
The Biden administration is considering the possibility of recognizing Palestinian statehood sometime after the current war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization, Axios has reported.
According to two U.S. officials cited in the report Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has tasked the State Department with drafting a report on Palestinian statehood and policy options should the U.S. decide to move forward with recognition.
The report would also consider the implications of international recognition of a Palestinian state, the report said.
No official policy change has been made, the officials said, though Blinken’s request signals a “shift in thinking” among Biden administration officials, the report said.
One official cited in the report, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, emphasized that the U.S. will adhere to its longstanding policy of supporting a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, rather than unilateral steps towards statehood.
The State Department declined to comment on the report.
On Tuesday, Ma’ariv reported that aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have drafted a plan for the future of the Gaza Strip after the current war, under which the enclave would be initially placed under Israeli military administration, before being transferred to an interim authority formed jointly by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, the UAE, and Bahrain.
A new Palestinian Authority, replacing the current leadership in Ramallah, would eventually be established to govern Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, leading to the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state.
As part of the plan – which was drafted as only one possible option – Saudi Arabia and Israel would cement their normalizing ties during the process of reforming the PA and forming a demilitarized Palestinian state.
Netanyahu dispatched an envoy, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, to Washington Wednesday, for high-level talks with senior U.S. officials, including Antony Blinken, on the future of Gaza and a Saudi peace deal.
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