OCTOBER 25 — US President Joe Biden in an address in Tel Aviv last week said he supported the two-State solution in the pursuit of peace.

The support must, however, acknowledge the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution at its 7853rd Meeting on December 23, 2016 where the UNSC duly condemned all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation, incitement and destruction.

While reiterating its vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, and stressing that significant steps were urgently needed in order not to erode the two-State solution and entrenching a one-State reality, and to advance the two-State solution through those negotiations and on the ground, the UNSC resolved, among others:

Ø that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace;

Ø that Israel immediately and completely ceases all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and that it fully respects all of its legal obligations in this regard;

Ø that it would not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations;

Ø that the cessation of all Israeli settlement activities is essential for salvaging the two-State solution, and calls for affirmative steps to be taken immediately to reverse the negative trends on the ground that are imperilling the two-State solution. (Resolution 2334 (2016) can be viewed here.)

Israeli settlements have impeded the two-State solution. (See Reham Owda, "How Israeli Settlements Impede the Two-State Solution”, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2022)

If the US is committed to the two-State solution, it must be committed to UNSC Resolution 2334 (2016) and Israel must fully respect all of its legal obligations.

The occupation of Palestinian territories must stop.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.