Amendment Reiterates Longstanding, Bipartisan Consensus on Need for Separate, Mutually-Recognized States for Israelis, Palestinians
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) joined Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and a majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus in announcing plans to file an amendment to the forthcoming national security supplemental package that reiterates longstanding U.S. policy in support of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“The end to decades of conflict can only come ultimately with a solution that both ensures Israel’s security and a state for the Palestinian people,” said Senator Butler. “These two objectives can coexist, and any effort to delegitimize either side moves us away from a lasting peace. Our democratic and American values point us to what we already know to be true: every human being deserves to live in safety with freedom and dignity.”
“The U.S. government has long supported a two-state solution as a path to a just and lasting peace in the region, and our amendment reaffirms our continued commitment to that vision,” said Senator Schatz. “The horrors of the war on and since October 7th have underscored the fundamental reality that in order for both Israelis and Palestinians to live in safety and with dignity, they need to have distinct, inalienable, and mutually-recognized states that coexist side-by-side in peace.”
“True peace for Israelis and Palestinians can only be achieved if security and self-determination are guaranteed for everyone in the region,” said Senator Padilla. “We must remain resolutely committed to a two-state solution.”
Butler joined 48 senators, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).
The text of the amendment is available here.
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