WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats pushed back aggressively on Thursday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was tipping off the U.S. He is against the creation of a Palestinian state At the end of the war in Gaza.
A key lawmaker, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., warned that Netanyahu’s remarks could prove difficult. subtle bilateral negotiations In the Senate, on an additional package that calls for military aid to Israel, immigration measures and aid to Ukraine.
“I think when Netanyahu says things like that, it doesn’t help him win the votes of people who are skeptical about the future of a Palestinian state,” he said. “This statement is not helpful, and yes, we need a lot of Democratic votes to pass it.”
There are progressives in the Senate He is already criticizing Israel’s military attack on Gaza It has been openly questioned whether the US should continue to send aid to Israel, which has caused thousands of civilian deaths. A close US ally, Hamas, launched a military campaign after a brazen terrorist attack in Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,000 people.
D-Mass., who serves on the Armed Services Committee. Senator Elizabeth Warren said, “It is the official policy of the United States government that we support two peoples for two people to live in dignity and self-determination.” “If Prime Minister Netanyahu is against it, then we have to question why we support the Netanyahu government.”
Another liberal, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., also hit back at Netanyahu: “What we see with Netanyahu is that he is willing to take our money, but he will always reject our advice.”
“He does not share our concern about the deaths of Palestinians. It is full speed ahead in Gaza. … Netanyahu is going his own way,” Welch said, adding that Netanyahu’s remarks “could create more tension” over the United States seeking new terms on additional aid to Israel.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Iraq war veteran who serves on the Armed Services Committee, said she was “appalled” by Netanyahu’s comments.
“I think the path to peace in the region is a two-state solution,” Duckworth told NBC News. “And the Palestinian state is also important for the peace of Israel. I don’t think he is in step with the majority of his population.”
Netanyahu’s “wrong. He makes Israel’s future, his prospects for peace, extremely difficult,” added Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. “He makes things worse at every opportunity.”
Schatz said he would introduce an amendment to the addendum supporting a two-state solution.
Netanyahu’s latest statement came as a response This was reported by NBC News On Thursday, US lawmakers and diplomats were working to revive a potential deal between Saudi Arabia, Israel and the US to end the war, stabilize the region and pave the way for some form of Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu rejected the idea He said that Palestinian sovereignty conflicts with Israel’s need for security.
“With or without settlements, the state of Israel must have security control over the entire territory,” Netanyahu said. “It contradicts the idea of sovereignty. I say this to the United States as well. “The prime minister of Israel should be able to say no to even our best friends – that’s how I rule.”
Republicans have largely sided with Netanyahu and argued that the two-state solution should be left to the Israeli government, not the United States.
“On the issue of a one-state or two-state solution in the Middle East, I have long said that America should not try to dictate that outcome — no one cares more about Israel’s safety and security than the people of Israel. ” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.
“If the people of Israel decide to negotiate a two-state solution, it is within their sovereign authority,” he continued. “But if they decide that the threat of the kind of attacks we saw on October 7 is too great for that kind of solution, that should be up to them.”
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, one of the top Republicans on the Intelligence Committee, also threw cold water on the concept of a Palestinian state.
“I don’t think a Palestinian state is possible at the moment. I have always believed that. Who will manage it?’ Rubio asked. “What we do know is that both groups that claim leadership of the Palestinian people believe in the destruction of the Jewish state. So every time you do that, it’s difficult to negotiate and hand over control when they turn these areas and bases of operations to attack your country.”
“I hope one day it will come to a place where that’s possible,” he said. “I don’t know how this is possible now. It’s just a realistic assessment.”
On Thursday afternoon, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived on Capitol Hill to brief members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his trip to the Middle East last week. Blinken urged Israeli and Arab leaders to agree on ways to advance Gaza after the end of the war with Hamas, although Netanyahu He rejected the US offer.