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Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and David Price (D-NC) sent a bipartisan letter signed by 191 of Members of Congress urging President Trump to reaffirm support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  “There must be absolute clarity regarding the United States’ continued support for a negotiated settlement leading to a sustainable two-state solution,” Connolly and Price said.

In their letter the Members of Congress wrote, “For decades, American presidents and Israeli prime ministers of all political parties have publicly supported and worked toward attaining a peace agreement that recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a democratic, Jewish state and establishes a demilitarized Palestinian state, coexisting side-by-side in peace and security.”

“We stand ready to help facilitate an environment that fosters the resumption of direct peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians in order to achieve a viable, lasting, and mutually agreed upon two-state solution.”

The letter was signed by Representatives Connolly, Price, Adams, Aguilar, Barragán, Bass, Beatty, Bera, Beyer Jr., Bishop, Blumenauer, Blunt Rochester, Bonamici, Boyle, Brady, Brown, Brownley, Bustos, Butterfield, Capuano, Carbajal, Cárdenas, Carson, Cartwright, Castor, Castro, Chu, Cicilline, Clarke, Clark, Clay, Cleaver, Clyburn, Cohen, Conyers Jr., Correa, Cooper, Costa, Courtney, Crist, Crowley, Cuellar, Cummings, Davis, Danny Davis, DeFazio, DeGette, Delaney, DeLauro, DelBene, Demings, DeSaulnier, Deutch, Dingell, Doggett, Doyle, Duncan Jr., Ellison, Engel, Eshoo, Espaillat, Esty, Evans, Foster, Frankel, Fudge, Gabbard, Gallego, Garamendi, Al Green, Gene Green, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Hanabusa, Hastings, Heck, Higgins, Himes, Hoyer, Huffman, Jackson Lee, Jayapal, Jeffries, Johnson, Johnson, Jones, Kaptur, Keating, Kelly, Kennedy, Khanna, Kihuen, Kildee, Kilmer, Kind, Krishnamoorthi, Kuster, Langevin, Larsen, Larson, Lawrence, Lawson, Lee, Levin, Lewis, Lieu, Lipinski, Loebsack, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Lowey, Lujan, Lujan Grisham, Lynch, Carolyn Maloney, Sean Patrick Maloney, Matsui, McCollum, McEachin, McGovern, McNerney, Meeks, Meng, Moore, Moulton, Murphy, Nadler, Napolitano, Neal, Nolan, Norcross, Norton, O’Halleran, O’Rourke, Pallone Jr., Panetta, Pascrell, Payne, Pelosi, Perlmutter, Peters, Pingree, Plaskett, Pocan, Polis, Quigley, Raskin, Rice, Richmond, Rosen, Roybal-Allard, Ruiz, Ruppersberger, Rush, Ryan (OH), Sanchez, Sarbanes, Schakowsky, Schiff, Schneider, Schrader, Scott (VA), Scott (GA), Serrano, Sewell, Shea-Porter, Sherman, Sinema, Sires, Slaughter, Smith, Soto, Speier, Suozzi, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson (CA), Thompson (MS), Titus, Tonko, Torres, Tsongas, Veasey, Velazquez, Visclosky, Walz, Wasserman Schultz, Watson Coleman, Welch, Wilson, and Yarmuth.

The full letter follows and can be found here.

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

 

Dear Mr. President,

As strong supporters of Israel, we write to urge you to reaffirm the United States’ long-standing, bipartisan commitment to supporting a just and lasting two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

For decades, American presidents and Israeli prime ministers of all political parties have publicly supported and worked toward attaining a peace agreement that recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a democratic, Jewish state and establishes a demilitarized Palestinian state, coexisting side-by-side in peace and security. Today, we remain convinced that a two-state solution is the only outcome that would quell ongoing incidents of violence, maintain Israel as a secure, Jewish, and democratic state, and provide a just and stable future for the Palestinians. It is our belief that a one-state outcome risks destroying Israel’s Jewish and democratic character, denies the Palestinians fulfillment of their legitimate aspirations, and would leave both Israelis and Palestinians embroiled in an endless and intractable conflict for generations to come.

Leadership from the United States is crucial at this juncture. We must ensure that a comprehensive agreement between the two parties is not imposed and oppose unilateral actions by either of the two parties that would push the prospects for peace further out of reach.

To that end, we stand ready to help facilitate an environment that fosters the resumption of direct peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians in order to achieve a viable, lasting, and mutually agreed upon two-state solution.

 

Sincerely,