Acting US Ambassador to the UN Richard Mills has said that President Joe Biden’s administration backs a two-state solution between the Zionist entity and the Palestinian Authority, but will “maintain its steadfast support” for the Israeli regime.
In a virtual speech to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Mills said that Washington would urge ‘Israel’ and the Palestinians “to avoid unilateral steps that make a two-state solution more difficult, such as annexation of territory, settlement activity, demolition, incitement to violence, and providing compensation for individuals imprisoned for acts of terrorism”.
The US ambassador added that the White House hopes “it will be possible to start working to slowly build competence on both sides to create an environment in which we might once again be able to help advance a [two-state] solution”.
At the same time, he made it clear that Washington doesn’t see such steps “as a favor to the Palestinian leadership”, adding that “US assistance benefits millions of ordinary Palestinians and helps to preserve a stable environment that benefits both Palestinians and Israelis”.
Mills pledged that the Biden administration would continue urging other countries to normalize ties with the occupation regime, while admitting that it was “not a substitute for Israeli-Palestinian peace”.
Source: Agencies