18 Democrats vote against resolution omitting two-state solution

Washington (QNN)- Eighteen House Democrats voted on Tuesday against a bipartisan resolution honoring Israel’s so-called “Independence Day” by omitting any reference to a two-state solution or the Palestinian people.

The bill passed by a vote of 401-19, with Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Andre Carson, Mark Desaulnier, Chuy Garcia, Raul Grijalva, Jared Huffman, Pramila Jayapal, Hank Johnson, Summer Lee, Betty McCollum, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez, Rashida Tlaib and Nydia Velazquez voting no.

One Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, additionally voted against the resolution. Nine additional Democrats did not vote.

Similar bipartisan resolutions, containing standard boilerplate language and explicit references to the Palestinians and a desire to reach a two-state solution, are introduced every five years to mark major anniversaries of Israel’s so-called Independence Day, Haaretz said.

According to Haaretz, the current resolution’s omissions reflect Israel’s role as a “wedge” between the Republican and Democratic parties as well as Republicans’ “effective disavowal of a two-state solution.”

The legislation was spearheaded by Republican Reps. Ann Wagner and Michael McCaul and Democratic Reps. Kathy Manning and Brad Schneider.

The bill is ostensibly about the so-called Abraham Accords and Israel’s normalization in the Middle East.

Democratic leadership was aware of the glaring absence of language on the two-state solution, which Haaretz has learned attempted to work toward a potential compromise.

The Democratic co-sponsors of the resolution attempted to split the difference by directly acknowledging the two-state solution during their House floor remarks.

“As a proud lifelong supporter of a strong bipartisan U.S.-Israel relationship, I also support a two-state solution, which preserves Israel’s fundamental character as a Jewish and democratic state. This has been the longstanding policy of the United States, with both Republican and Democratic administrations. A two-state solution is the only way Israel can remain both Jewish and democratic into the future and it is the only way to meet the aspirations of the Palestinian people. I would like to see the bipartisan consensus on two states be maintained in the future for the benefit of the United States, Israel, the Palestinians and the wider region and world,” Manning said.

“I know in my heart that peace can one day be achieved with the Palestinians with a negotiated two-state solution that would give us a Jewish and democratic Israel and a demilitarized democratic Palestinian state living side by side in peace, security and prosperity,” Schneider added.