“It’s a critical step that the US and other nations recognize Palestinian statehood now,” said Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., in a statement Thursday.
Vermont’s three members of Congress are all calling on President Donald Trump and his administration to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are among eight senators sponsoring a resolution that urges the White House “to recognize a demilitarized State of Palestine, as consistent with international law and the principles of a two-state solution, alongside a secure State of Israel.”
The resolution, which is led by Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, is the first of its kind in the Senate, Welch’s office said in a statement. Other than Sanders, all of its backers are Democrats.
Meanwhile, Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., has signed onto a letter with dozens of her House Democratic colleagues asking the same of Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The existence of the House letter, which is led by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., was first reported by The Guardian Thursday morning. A spokesperson for Balint’s office, Sophie Pollock, said later Thursday that Balint was among the signatories.
“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,” the letter says, according to The Guardian. “We encourage the governments of other countries that have yet to recognize Palestinian statehood, including the United States, to do so as well.”
The Guardian reported that Khanna plans to deliver the letter to Trump on Friday.
Welch’s and Sanders’ resolution has slim chances of advancing in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. It’s also unlikely that either their resolution, or the letter circulating among Democrats in the GOP-controlled House, would ultimately persuade the White House to recognize a Palestinian state.
Trump said Tuesday in remarks to the United Nations General Assembly, which is meeting in New York City this week, that recognizing Palestinian statehood amounts to “a reward” for Hamas, the group that governs Gaza and was responsible for the brutal terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Still, the U.S. legislators’ push comes as there has been growing international support in recent days for Palestinian statehood among major U.S. allies including Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. A number of other countries have also granted that recognition during this week’s General Assembly.
In all, more than 150 countries recognize Palestine as its own state, though the U.S. is not among them. Recognition of Palestinian statehood is a largely symbolic gesture, though supporters have argued it will keep pressure on global leaders to work toward finding a two-state solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which also encompasses dispute over control of the West Bank, not just the Gaza Strip.
The push for greater recognition comes nearly two years into Israel’s war in Gaza that, according to the latest estimates from local health authorities, has killed about 65,000 people in the Middle Eastern enclave. Israel’s military campaign has spurred rampant hunger in the region and destroyed vast swaths of Gaza’s infrastructure.
Last week, an independent United Nations commission concluded that Israel’s military has committed acts of genocide in Gaza since the October 2023 attack. All three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation then became some of the first among their colleagues to publicly label the country’s offensive as a genocide.
The delegation’s push also comes as five members of Vermont’s Legislature — Democrats and Republicans — joined legislators from other states across the country on a trip around Israel last week that was funded by the Israeli government.
Welch said in a statement submitted for the congressional record last week that while senators could not unilaterally recognize an independent Palestine on their own, his and Sanders’ resolution “aligns with the objective of nearly 80 years of United States policy: two independent states and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
“The choice before us is clear: either we embrace the two-state solution or continue to support today’s relentless military occupation,” Welch said. “This horrible death and destruction in Gaza must stop. That is why the time for two states can be delayed no longer.”
Balint also echoed support for a two-state solution in a statement Thursday.
“This is the most viable path forward to find stability, peace and to hold all nations accountable to international law,” she said. “It’s a critical step that the US and other nations recognize Palestinian statehood now.”
Story Written by Shaun Robinson, VTDigger