Harris speaks with forked tongue on two-state solution
Kamala Harris didn’t take very long to blow her credibility when it came to whether she would pursue President Biden’s 10 June two-state solution—unifying Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority—or any other two-state solution.
At the DNC Conference on 22 August Harris told the assembled delegates:
“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that – Israel is secure – the hostages are released – the suffering in Gaza ends – and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity. Security. Freedom. And self-determination”
Yet on 29 August – Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash:
“I remain committed since I’ve been on October 8 to what we must do to work toward a two-state solution where Israel is secure and in equal measure the Palestinians have security and self-determination and — and dignity.”
After Harris’s 22 August statement I wrote on 26 August that Harris had:
“signalled she had now abandoned pursuing the creation of a Palestinian Arab state between Israel and Jordan, proposed by President Biden on 10 June.
Biden’s proposal was contained in draft Security Council Resolution S/2024/448 prepared by the United States of America: Unifying Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority (Biden’s Solution) – adopted 14-0 by the Security Council in Resolution 2735”.
Israel’s Knesset had overwhelmingly rejected any new state between Israel and Jordan (two-state solution) on 17 July – confirmed by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 4 August.
I opined that Harris’s:
“non-reaffirmation of Biden’s Solution in her acceptance speech has opened up the prospect that Harris may be contemplating endorsing the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine Solution (HKOPS) – first published on 8 June 2022: Unifying Jordan, Gaza and part of the West Bank under the Hashemites –the ruling authority in Jordan for more than 100 years comprising 77% of former Palestine – enjoying a signed peace treaty with Israel since 1994.”
Harris re-embracing a two-state solution on 29 August – whether Biden’s Solution or any other two-state solution – is strange to fathom – especially since Israel had already begun an operation in the West Bank on 27 August that could only harden Israel’s resolve to reject any two-state solution:
“IDF: Since Tuesday night, the IDF, ISA, and Israel Border Police forces have been conducting a precise, targeted regional operation across three terror hubs. The forces are operating against terrorist cells of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in the area, as well as ongoing attempts by the enemy to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
So far, the forces have eliminated 20 terrorists in exchanges of fire and airstrikes and apprehended 17 suspects linked to terrorist activities. Additionally, they have destroyed dozens of explosive devices and confiscated large quantities of weapons.
Simultaneously, alongside the operation in northern Samaria, the IDF and ISA have completed an operation in the area of Far’a in the Jordan Valley Brigade.”
Contrast Harris’s stance with that of her rival for President – Donald Trump – on 29 April:
“There was a time when I thought two states could work. Now I think two states is going to be very, very tough. I think it’s going to be much tougher to get. I also think you have fewer people that liked the idea. You had a lot of people that liked the idea four years ago. Today, you have far fewer people that like that idea”
What would Trump say now – 4 months later – given developments since then?
Will Harris continue pursuing any two-state solution – unequivocally rejected by Israel: “Yes” or “No”?
Speaking with forked tongue on so important an issue is not acceptable.
Please join my Facebook Page: “Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine supporters”
Author’s note: The cartoon — commissioned exclusively for this article — is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”- one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators — whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades.
David Singer is a Sydney lawyer and a foundation member of the International Analysts Network
