BOTH ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS SHOULD RECOGNIZE EACH
OTHER
Allan C. Brownfeld, Editor
Special Interest Report
April 2024
In the view of Dylan Williams, Vice President of J Street, it is time for both
Israel and Palestinians to recognize the other’s right to statehood. Writing in
The Forward (Jan. 19, 2024) he notes that, “Netanyahu explicitly rejects a
Palestinian state, yet continues to receive U.S. assistance. Expressly rejecting
calls by the administration of President Joe Biden for a ‘day after’ approach
that sets Palestinian statehood as a goal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said…that Israel ‘must have security control over the entire territory
West of the Jordan River,’ boasting that he ‘blocked the (U.S.) attempt to
dictate reality that would have harmed Israel’s security.’”
In Williams’ view, “These comments publicly slammed the door on American and
international hopes of resurrecting diplomacy toward a two-state solution. They
also reflect the policy Netanyahu has pursued for his entire career. Yet
Netanyahu’s open denial of the Palestinian people’s right to a state and the
‘River to the sea’ language he echoed in making it, also highlights a glaring
double standard…Palestinian government officials who engage broadly with the
international community are practically, and in some cases legally, bound to
recognize Israel’s right to exist—-and notably have done so since the signing of
the Oslo Accords 30 years ago. It is long past time for Biden to condition
assistance to Israel and insist that the recognition must go both ways.” *
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