UNITED States 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 on December 23, 2016, meeting, 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 recognised borders, and stressing that significant steps were needed not to erode the two-state solution and entrenching a one-state reality.

To advance the two-state solution through those negotiations and in the field, the UNSC resolved, among others:

1. That Israel’s establishment of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) 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.

2. That Israel immediately and completely ceases all settlement activities in OPT, including East Jerusalem, and that it fully respects all of its legal obligations in this regard.

3. That it would not recognise any changes to the June 4, 1967, lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations.

4. That the cessation of all Israeli settlement activities is essential to salvage 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 can be viewed here.

Israeli settlements have impeded the two-state solution. (See: Reham Owda’s “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 the UNSC Resolution 2334 and Israel must fully respect all of its legal obligations.

The occupation of Palestinian territories must stop. – October 25, 2023.

* Hafiz Hassan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.