6 months ago
31
NEW DELHI: The
White House
on Wednesday warned Israel against withholding
funds
to Palestinian authority which provides "basic goods and services to innocent people". However, it opposed the "unilateral" recognition of the state of Palestine in view of Ireland, Norway and Spain announcing that they would establish relations with Palestinian state.
"I think it's wrong on a strategic basis, because withholding funds destabilizes the West Bank," Biden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters.
"It undermines the search for security and prosperity for the Palestinian people which is in Israel's interests, and, I think, it's wrong to withhold funds that provide basic goods and services to innocent people," he said.
Pressing for a two-state solution through direct negotiation, Sullivan said that Joe Biden "has been on the record supporting a two-state solution," further adding that he "has been equally emphatic on the record that that two-state solution should be brought about through direct negotiations through the parties, not through
unilateral recognition
."
Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been pressuring Israel to move forward on a schedule for a Palestinian state, in part by exploring the possibility of Saudi Arabia restoring relations with Israel.
However, US vetoed a recent UN Security Council resolution to recognize the State of Palestine, claiming that recognition could only come through discussions that considered Israel's security concerns.
