President Biden reiterated his commitment to the elusive “two-state solution” — the long-sought vision in which an independent Palestinian state and Israel coexist — on Friday, as he spoke alongside Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
“The United States and my administration will not give up on trying to bring the Palestinians, Israelis and both sides closer together,” Biden said. He added that he believes that with Israel improving its relations with neighbors in the Middle East, that momentum could “reinvigorate the peace process between the Palestinian people and the Israelis.”
But for the time being, both Abbas and Biden acknowledged that the political moment is not yet right for peace talks to resume. In their joint statements, Abbas urged Biden to continue reversing Trump’s policies on aid and other issues, and Biden pledged to help improve the day-to-day lives of Palestinian people.
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