Forty-seven Democrat congressional representatives sent a Friday letter to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling for the United States of America to recognize a Palestinian state, according to a statement issued by Congressman Ro Khanna.
The letter argued that steps needed to be taken to address the injustice underlying the Israel-Hamas War given the Israeli government’s undermining of a potential Palestinian state with a campaign of annexation in Judea and Samaria and calls by Israeli politicians to do the same in Gaza.
Led by Khanna, the 47 Democrats noted that previous US administrations acknowledged that it was necessary to fulfill the national rights of the Palestinian people.
“Just as the lives of Palestinians must be immediately protected, so too must their rights as a people and nation urgently be acknowledged and upheld,” read the letter.
The Democrats encouraged other states to also recognize a Palestinian state, following France’s example. France, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada were among several states that officially welcomed a Palestinian state at last week’s United Nations General Assembly.
“More than 150 countries recognize Palestinian statehood. This is a moral issue. We cannot be isolated from the rest of the free world. We must stand up for the dignity and rights of the Palestinian people. That is why I am pushing for the US to join in recognizing Palestinian statehood,” said Khanna.
Requirement to fully recognize Israel
Echoing French President Emmanuel Macron, the Democrats assured Trump that as part of the recognition process, the Palestinian state would be required to fully recognize Israel, adopt a security framework, and disarm and remove Hamas from power in Gaza.
Khanna said on Saturday at The National Arab American Convention that more Democrats should have signed the letter, questioning how his colleagues could not have believed it was time to recognize Palestinian aspirations for self-determination when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “annexing the West Bank and erasing Palestinian identity.”
The Californian congressman called US politicians arrogant for not recognizing a Palestinian state when so many members of the international community had committed to acknowledging the polity, asserting that they were putting the country on the side of the “pariah in world opinion.”
“If this party does not have the moral clarity on issues of Gaza, on issues of Palestinian national aspirations and statehood, and on issues of not having military weapons that are killing women and children and starving people in Gaza, then we will not have the moral vision to win back the trust of the American people,” Khanna told The Young Turks founder Cenk Uygyr, according to a BreakThrough News livestream.
“We need a transformation of our own party.”
An alternative Democrat initiative urged Rubio to work with the Arab League and other regional partners to develop an agreement to strengthen Israeli security and Palestinian aspirations, rather than pursue unilateral recognition.
The 30 Democrats cited the Arab League’s July 29 statement, which condemned Hamas and urged its disarmament, as a positive diplomatic sign, though the letter emphasized that the politicians did not support all of the statement’s proposals.
“We believe this approach is far more constructive than recent unilateral and performative recognitions of a Palestinian state by other nations, which risk emboldening Hamas, entrenching division, and undermining the very legitimacy and peace such recognition purports to advance,” read the Thursday letter.
The letter, led by representatives Jake Auchincloss, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Greg Landsman, and Tim Kennedy said that an agreement coordinated with the Arab League could achieve the immediate and unconditional release of hostages captured by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, the terrorist group’s ousting from political and military control of Gaza, and a de-escalation that would allow for reconstruction and reform.
“This moment demands American leadership,” Kennedy said in a statement. “The Arab League’s historic statement condemning the October 7 atrocities, calling for the release of all hostages, and rejecting Hamas’s continued rule in Gaza is an unprecedented breakthrough. It creates an opportunity for diplomacy that strengthens Israel’s security, relieves the suffering of innocent Palestinians, and moves us closer to a lasting two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live side-by-side in peace and dignity.”
Khanna dismissed the alternate letter, noting that his missive had 17 more Democrat signatures.
“The tide is turning, but we have work to do,” Khanna said on X on Saturday.
Senator Tom Cotton criticized Khanna’s initiative on social media Thursday as a “morally bankrupt” effort "to reward Hamas’s October 7 massacre by giving a state to terrorists.”
Trump stated in his own UNGA address on Tuesday that the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state by some countries seemed to be geared toward encouraging continued conflict.
“The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities,” said Trump.
Rubio blasted the moves for recognition as “irrelevant” in a Tuesday CBS interview, but also argued that the effort was counterproductive to negotiations for a hostage deal.
“It actually derailed talks that were going on, making it even harder for Hamas to enter into concessions that might have brought this to an end,” said Rubio.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.