From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 13, 2021
Erdan: Biden administration recognizes 2-state solution ‘not currently achievable’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Asked for his thoughts on the Biden administration’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan says Jerusalem respects the position, but thinks differently on the matter.
“The current Israeli government thinks differently and believes that it’s not currently achievable,” Erdan tells The Times of Israel on the sidelines of an event marking the one-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords. “Even the Biden administration, when they speak with us, they recognize that it’s not something that currently can be achieved.”
Erdan says that, in the meantime, both Israel and the US are focusing on advancing economic projects that can improve the quality of life for Palestinians.
“The [two-state] option is not on the table, so we’re focused on what unites us rather than what divides us,” the ambassador says.
Erdan notes that the Trump administration, which initiated the Abraham Accords, did not always support the two-state model either. “It wasn’t the position of the previous administration, though from time to time it was,” Erdan says.
The Times of Israel Community.