Dems press Obama on two-state solution for Israel

A group of House Democrats urged President Obama to maintain his support for a two-state solution amid concerns over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election-eve comments against Palestinian statehood.

In a letter to the president, 79 House Democrats said they stand behind President Obama’s recent assertion that the U.S. may need to “reassess our options” following Netanyahu’s declaration last month that there would be no Palestinian state if he were reelected.

Netanyahu walked back his comments upon his reelection victory. 

“This is particularly troubling given that support for a two-state solution has been part of U.S. policy over four administrations, including your own. Moreover, it is widely accepted as the only way of maintaining Israel’s long-term security and of ensuring that Israel remains both a Jewish and a democratic state,” the lawmakers wrote of Netanyahu’s original remarks.

{mosads}”This is why we urge you to persevere in reaffirming that the two-state solution is still achievable and that it, and the joint U.S.-Israel commitment to shared democratic values and to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, remains fundamental to U.S. policy,” they wrote.

The letter’s signatories included several Jewish Democrats, including Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Jared Polis (Colo.), David Cicilline (R.I.), Steve Cohen (Tenn.), Alan Lowenthal (Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (Ill.) and John Yarmuth (Ky.).