(ETH) – Although US President Joe Biden will not reverse Trump’s historical recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he will likely push for a “Palestinian State” according to Tony Blinken, who is Biden’s nominee for secretary of state.
According to the report from The Times of Israel, when recently asked by Ted Cruz if the United States will continue its stance on Jerusalem and maintain its embassy, Blinken said without hesitation, “Yes and yes.” and he emphasized that Biden would try harder to pursue a separate Palestinian state but acknowledged the difficulties of getting it accomplished.
“The only way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish, democratic state and to give the Palestinians a state to which they are entitled is through the so-called two-state solution,” Blinken said. He added: “I think realistically it’s hard to see near-term prospects for moving forward on that.”
“What would be important is to make sure that neither party takes steps that make the already difficult process even more challenging,” he said. This report comes as the Palestinian leadership recently boycotted Trump, saying the Jerusalem move and other decisions he made were seen as favoring Israel and showed his bias.
Blinken did state that was opposed to campaigns designed to pressuring Israel through boycotts, which has actually put him at odds with some in the left-wing of his Democratic Party.