Baldwin wants path to Palestinian state
Senator joins call for ceasefire, then reform
WASHINGTON – Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin on Wednesday joined calls for the Biden administration to detail a path for the United States to “recognize a nonmilitarized Palestinian state” as the president faces mounting demands for a sustained ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza.
Baldwin and 18 other Senate Democrats in a letter urged President Joe Biden to establish a public framework with institutional reforms to the Palestinian Authority that would allow the U.S. to formally recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Such reforms will only be possible, they said, following a ceasefire in Gaza.
“It is our firm belief that only with two states for two peoples — an independent Israel alongside an independent Palestinian state — will we see enduring peace in the region and safety and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” the senators wrote in the letter, led by Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware.
“Given the severity of the current crisis, this moment requires determined U.S. leadership that must move beyond facilitation,” they wrote.
The letter is the latest effort from Democrats to urge Biden to work toward ending the conflict in Gaza that began when Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7 and killed more than 1,200 Israelis. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent offensive, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health authorities. And Biden in recent weeks has pushed for a halt in the fighting that would allow for the release of hostages and a path for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
For Baldwin, the letter reflected the increasingly vocal stance she’s taken in the conflict. She has supported Israel’s right to defend itself but has been critical of Israel’s response in Gaza. She called for a humanitarian ceasefire late last year in order to get aid to civilians and this week expressed support for a permanent ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
Baldwin, who faces a contentious reelection fight in November, and other top Democrats have received pressure from some on the left due to the mounting Palestinian civilian death toll. In recent months, a wave of Arab Americans and progressives have vowed to vote “uncommitted” in protest of the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict.
In the letter Wednesday, the senators called on Biden to propose democratic, educational and judicial reforms to the Palestinian Authority, as well as a strategy to combat corruption and “incitement to violence.” They said the Palestinian Authority should “reaffirm its recognition of the State of Israel,” and the reformed government’s officials should be made to “renounce Hamas and all terrorist activity.”
The senators noted that Israel must take “parallel steps,” including “facilitating a major surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza and enabling the process of rebuilding Gaza.”
Israel, the group said in the letter, should also be pushed to stop settlement planning, construction and Palestinian home demolitions in the West Bank. They said Israel should work to end settler violence and allow Palestinians in the West Bank to access permits to work in Israel.
“We recognize that none of this is possible until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, all hostages are released, and unfettered humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza,” they wrote.
The request also comes as Baldwin this week expressed support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
In an interview with CBS58, Baldwin said Israel and Hamas need to agree to “an immediate ceasefire” to allow for the release of more hostages and for more humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza.
“I would hope that the parties could agree to a permanent ceasefire,” she told CBS58.
In December, Baldwin called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and was critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
She said at the time Israel’s “indiscriminate bombing and military approach has led to unacceptable bloodshed in Gaza and does not appear to be moving us closer to our ultimate goals of removing Hamas from power and achieving a lasting peace in the region through a two-state solution.”
Israel and Hamas paused fighting for a week in late November, leading to a release of 105 hostages in Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Fighting resumed December 1.
“We believe it is critical at this moment for the United States to signal our willingness to lead a regional peace initiative that would eventually result in U.S. recognition of a nonmilitarized Palestinian state, as well as Israel’s full integration into the region,” the senators wrote to Biden Wednesday.