Jewish lawmakers rip Trump over two-state walkback
Jewish Democrats warn that the Israeli right's push for a one-state solution risks endangering bipartisan support for the Jewish state.
Jewish lawmakers in Congress ripped into President Donald Trump on Feb. 15 for abandoning the United States' longstanding commitment to a Palestinian state, warning that doing so would have dire consequences for Israel.
Trump floated other options to the decadeslong conflict at a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US president wasn't advocating for an alternative course of action, indicating instead that he was keeping an open mind on the issue.
"I’m looking at two-state and one-state,” Trump said. “I like the one that both parties like. I’m very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one.”
Still, the comments drew angry rebukes from Jewish Democrats who warned that Trump's comments put Israel's democratic future — and historic bipartisan US support for the Jewish state — at risk. The Israeli right wing is increasingly vocal in its desire to annex all of the West Bank, where Arabs substantially outnumber Jews.
