DeLauro, Schakowsky, McGovern Lead 90+ Democrats in Letter to Biden Administration Urging a Two-State Solution Between Israel and Palestine

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Jan Schakowsky, and Jim McGovern today led over 90 House Democrats in sending a letter to the Biden administration urging them to deescalate tensions between Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank and commit to sustain diplomacy to prevent actions that further undermine the viability of a two-state solution.

“In this fragile and combustible moment, consistent and sustained U.S. diplomatic leadership is critical to preempt counterproductive unilateral actions and prevent violent escalations,” the lawmakers wrote. “As committed supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship, we commend your administration's firm opposition to actions that imperil the future of a two-state solution… With the Knesset on the cusp of stripping the judiciary’s check over the current government, we urge you to make clear that the U.S. will firmly oppose any moves toward annexation that the Israeli government may pursue as a result. We thank you for your work and again urge you to use all diplomatic tools at your disposal to address this grave situation.”

92 House Democrats signed the letter along with U.S. Representatives DeLauro, Schakowsky, and McGovern including U.S. Representatives Alma Adams, Colin Allred, Becca Balint, Donald Beyer, Earl Blumenauer, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Suzanne Bonamici, Julia Brownley, Nikki Budzinski, Salud Carbajal, Troy Carter, Sean Casten, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, David Cicilline, Yvette Clarke, Emanuel Cleaver, Steve Cohen, Gerald Connolly, Joe Courtney, Jasmine Crockett, Danny Davis, Madeleine Dean, Diana DeGette, Rosa DeLauro, Christopher Deluzio, Mark DeSaulnier, Debbie Dingell, Lloyd Doggett, Veronica Escobar, Anna Eshoo, Dwight Evans, Bill Foster, John Garamendi, Jesús García, Sylvia Garcia, Al Green, Raul Grijalva, Jahana Hayes, James Himes, Chrissy Houlahan, Jared Huffman, Jonathan Jackson, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Marcy Kaptur, William Keating, Robin Kelly, Ro Khanna, Daniel Kildee, Andy Kim, Ann Kuster, John Larson, Barbara Lee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Zoe Lofgren, Stephen Lynch, James McGovern, Gwen Moore, Seth Moulton, Jerrold Nadler, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Donald Payne, Marie Perez, Scott Peters, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Katie Porter, Mike Quigley, Jamie Raskin, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sanchez, John Sarbanes, Mary Scanlon, Janice Schakowsky, Mikie Sherrill, Eric Sorensen, Melanie Stansbury, Eric Swalwell, Emilia Sykes, Mark Takano, Mike Thompson, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, Lori Trahan, Nydia Velazquez, Maxine Waters, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Jennifer Wexton, Susan Wild and Troy Carter.

You can read the full letter here and below.

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Dear Mr. President:

We write as supporters of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship who seek to protect the viability of a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We wish to commend your administration’s efforts to deescalate heightened tensions in Israel and the West Bank, as well as share our deep concern regarding the planned changes to the structure of the Israeli judiciary, the fragile security situation in the West Bank, and the threat of partial or full annexation of areas that would most certainly be part of a future Palestinian state. We urge you to use all diplomatic tools available to prevent Israel’s current government from further damaging the nation’s democratic institutions and undermining the potential for two states for two peoples.  

The proposals to grant members of the Knesset control over judicial appointments, eliminate judicial review of legislation, and permit the legislature to overturn Supreme Court decisions would jeopardize Israeli democracy, which in turn would undermine the very foundation of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Stripping the judiciary of its check on the governing coalition would empower far-right lawmakers seeking to entrench settlement of the West Bank and advance a pro-annexation agenda, undermining the prospects for a two-state solution and threatening Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state. As Israel has seen massive and sustained protests against the plans, it is crucial that the Israeli government live up to the democratic ideals on which it was founded and avoid a constitutional crisis. As you have stated, “the genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy is that they are both built on strong institutions, on checks and balances, on an independent judiciary.” We could not agree more.

We are also deeply alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the West Bank and the potential for sustained violence, and we applaud your administration’s recent attempts to stabilize the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority, teetering on financial collapse, has lost much of its popular legitimacy and effective control of many northern Palestinian cities, such as Jenin and Nablus, to extremist groups. In response to increased and credible terrorist threats in the West Bank, the Israeli Defense Forces have executed raids in Palestinian cities targeting members of armed militia groups, oftentimes leading to civilians being caught in the crossfire. Inclusive of settler attacks, more than 60 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank so far this year, a pace that is on track to surpass last year’s record-breaking casualties.

Palestinian violence against Israelis also has increased recently with a number of horrifying attacks, including the killing of Jewish worshipers and children in East Jerusalem. We condemn these killings and have repeatedly criticized actions by Palestinian leaders and organizations, including incitement, acts of terror, and payments to the families of terrorists, that harm Israelis, exacerbate the conflict, and put a negotiated resolution to the conflict further out of reach. We are profoundly concerned that the recent violence and increased tensions could spiral into a major conflict, despite the recent steps taken. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William J. Burns recently warned that Israel appears to be on the brink of confronting a third intifada. The political and security vacuum in the West Bank is a serious threat to Israeli and Palestinian civilians alike.

In this fragile and combustible moment, consistent and sustained U.S. diplomatic leadership is critical to preempt counterproductive unilateral actions and prevent violent escalations. As committed supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship, we commend your administration's firm opposition to actions that imperil the future of a two-state solution. The recent joint statement with our NATO allies and the signing of a United Nations Security Council Presidential Statement are important demonstrations of the U.S.’ commitment to opposing settlement expansion, such as the new plans to build thousands of settlement units and retroactively legalize more than a dozen illegal outposts. With the Knesset on the cusp of stripping the judiciary’s check over the current government, we urge you to make clear that the U.S. will firmly oppose any moves toward annexation that the Israeli government may pursue as a result. We thank you for your work and again urge you to use all diplomatic tools at your disposal to address this grave situation. We look forward to supporting you in this effort.

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