US envoy Lew denies White House seeking ‘unilateral recognition’ of Palestinian state

Speaking at the Conference of Presidents’ annual mission in Jerusalem, US Ambassador Jack Lew seeks to dispel talk that the US could recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally.

“We have never said there should be a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state,” says Lew.

Instead, he calls for an “over-the-horizon process that includes a vision for a demilitarized Palestinian state,” something far less than what some reports have indicated is being discussed at the White House.

“Now is a moment in time when there is a real possibility that by engaging in normalization and negotiations with Saudi Arabia,” along with reforms in the Palestinian Authority, he says, “that there can be a demilitarized Palestinian state. But Israel will have to make that choice.”

“Any solution must ensure the safety and security of Israel,” Lew says, adding that “there can not be a militarized Palestinian state.”

US support for Israel has “not wavered,” says Lew, explaining that critical statements from Washington stem from the fact that the war is “causing a huge amount of pain everywhere.”

“The fact that we have put a bright light on children suffering in Gaza is not an indication that the US is not behind Israel,” he argues. The war, says Lew, “has to be done in a way that’s consistent from our shared values. We have to remember, all of us, that a child is a child.”

He admits that in times of stress, certain language can be used, but Israel “must look at actions” from the Biden administration. “We made the case as both a moral and strategic imperative,” says Lew of US pressure to let in more aid to Gaza.

“When history is written, I believe that our Israeli friends will be grateful for the nudge” given to them on humanitarian aid.