The Mercury News Weekend

Envoy: U.S. supports 2-state solution

New appointee takes stronger stand on Israel, Palestine

- By EdithM. Lederer

UNITED NATIONS — U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Thursday the United States “absolutely” supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinia­n conflict and anyone who thinks it doesn’t is in “error.”

But the Trump administra­tion’s new U.N. envoy told reporters: “We are thinking out of the box as well, which is: What does it take to bring these two sides to the table? What do we need to have them agree on?”

Haley’s comments were far more forceful in support of a two-state solution than President Donald Trump’s on Wednesday. He said: “I’m looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. I can live with either one.”

Haley also said the solution to the conflict has to come from the Israelis and Palestinia­ns, but she said several times and stressed: “We absolutely support a two-state solution.”

Earlier Thursday the United Nations and the Arab League issued a joint statement in support of the establishm­ent of a Palestinia­n state alongside Israel, saying the two-state solution is “the only way to achieve comprehens­ive and just settlement to the Palestinia­n cause.”

That appeared to put U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Arab League Chief Ahmed AboulGheit, who met in Cairo, at odds with Trump.

But Haley said, when asked whether the United States would carry out its obligation­s under the U.N. Security Council resolution that called for the establishm­ent of two states: “Understand that the United States supports the two-state resolution. That’s never been wavered.”

“What we’re saying is, OK, let’s not just talk about the old way of doing things.” She said. “Come to the table with all the fresh atmosphere and perspectiv­es that we now have, and think, OK, what can we do knowing all of the factors, knowing where we sit present day, and how can we move forward.”

Guterres had stressed earlier Wednesday that there is no “Plan B” to a two-state solution. Haley was asked if the United States had a “Plan B.”

“I think first of all a twostate solution is what we support,” she said. “Anybody who wants to say the United States doesn’t support a two-state solution — that would be an error.”

Haley was highly critical of what she called the anti-Israel bias in the U.N.’s most powerful body and the resolution members adopted in December condemning Israeli settlement­s as a “flagrant violation” of internatio­nal law.

 ?? MARYALTAFF­ER/ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks to reporters after a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Thursday.
MARYALTAFF­ER/ASSOCIATED PRESS United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks to reporters after a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Thursday.

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