US considering policy shift to recognise Palestine as a state

THE US could recognise a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza, according to reports suggesting the State Department is considering a shift in policy.

Antony Blinken, America’s top diplomat, has commissioned the State Department to review potential options for US and international recognition of a Palestinian state, Axios reported.

It comes after Lord Cameron revealed Britain is weighing up whether to formally recognise Palestine as a state.

The Foreign Secretary said Britain had a “responsibility” to work towards a two-state solution, adding: “We with allies will look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations.”

Matt Miller, a spokesman for the State Department, said the Biden administration has not shifted its policy on the issue, but declined to comment on reports of a review.

“We have been quite clear publicly that we support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state… with security guarantees for Israel,” he said. “That’s been the policy of the United States for some time.”

However, he continued: “We look at any number of options. That’s part of the normal planning process. The vast majority of options never usually get implemented”.

Washington has opposed recognition of a Palestinian state for decades, arguing that it should only be achieved through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

But a senior official told Axios that the administration’s push to find a diplomatic way out of Israel’s war in Gaza has required a reexamination of “old US paradigms and policies”.

The move towards normalising ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia is seen by the White House as a pathway to recognition of a Palestinian state, according to Axios.

The Oct 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel have derailed those plans, and Riyadh has already made clear that an “irrevocable” pathway towards a Palestinian state will be a condition of any normalisation agreement with Jerusalem.

A similar report was carried by the Hebrew outlet Walla, which suggested US recognition of a Palestinian state could come the day after the war ends.

Mr Blinken also asked the State Department to submit proposals for what a “demilitarised Palestinian state” might look like based on various models from around the world, an official told the outlet.

A senior US official signalled some parts of the Biden administration felt that a shift in policy, and moving towards recognising a Palestinian state, would be an important first step in any peace process rather than the last step.

The policy options range from outright US recognition of a Palestinian state and encouragement of other Western nations to do so, to less forthright measures, such as declining to veto the UN Security Council’s admission of Palestine as a full member state.

Any option for a two-state solution would have to be implemented in a way that assures Israel’s security, the US official said.