US Senate Member Files First Resolution Urges Palestinian State Recognition

Illustration of the State of Palestine. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - A group of US senators on Thursday submitted the first Senate resolution urging Palestinian state recognition, signaling a shift in Washington's sentiment towards Israel, nearly two years after the war with the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"America has a responsibility to take the lead, and the time to act is now," Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who led the effort, said in a statement.

The resolution calls for US recognition of the demilitarized Palestinian state alongside safe Israel and will provide hope for both sides while increasing the prospect of peace, Merkley said.

At the House of Representatives, Ro aired from California circulating letters in the hope of garnering support for the recognition of the Palestinian state.

The move reflects a shift between lawmakers towards pressure on Israel to end the war and defuse the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the conflict approaches for two years.

The Senate resolution was also supported by Chris Van Hollen of the Democratic Party (Dailyland), Tim Kaine from Virginia, Peter Welch from Vermont, Tina Smith from Minnesota, Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, and Mazie Hirono from Hawaii, and Bernie Sanders from Vermont, an independent in a coalition with the Democratic Party.

On Wednesday, Sanders became the first US senator to describe events in Gaza as genocide.

The draft law, which is led by the Democratic Party, will most likely not qualify in a panel controlled by the Republican Party led by President Donald Trump with a majority vote of 53-47.

President Trump said on Thursday he disagreed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on whether to recognize the Palestinian state, and no Republicans joined the effort.

It is known that a number of US allies are preparing to recognize the Palestinian state as world leaders meet at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month showed the majority of Americans - 58 percent - believed every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a country.