U.S. officials reportedly told Axios that Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked the State Department to review various policy options for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Some of the courses of action the United States may take include bilaterally recognizing the state of Palestine, not using its veto to block the United Nations Security Council from admitting Palestine as a full UN member state, and encouraging other countries to recognize Palestine, the outlet reported.
Officials shared that reviewing these options is one of a series of issues Blinken has requested be analyzed.
The officials emphasized that a possible two-state solution would also ensure that Israel is secured.
A White House National Security Council spokesperson noted that it “has been longstanding U.S. policy that any recognition of a Palestinian state must come through direct negotiations between the parties rather than through unilateral recognition at the UN. That policy has not changed.”
The report comes as Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron told the Conservative Middle East Council that the U.K. is considering recognizing Palestine as a state.
“We should be starting to set out what a Palestinian state would look like – what it would comprise, how it would work,” he said, according to Politico. He added, “As that happens, we, with allies, will look at the issue of recognizing a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations. This could be one of the things that helps to make this process irreversible.”
