Omar: Netanyahu encouraging Congress not to support two-state solution

US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to pressure the Democrat and Republican parties to scrap a resolution supporting the two-state solution in Palestine.

In a tweet she posted on Saturday while referencing an article on the issue, Omar stated that despite Netanyahu being publicly in support of the two-state solution, his attempts to influence the US body against the concept shows that his agenda is contrary to it.

“Endorsing a two-state solution while simultaneously attempting to block a Palestinian state is what Netanyahu has been doing for decades,” she wrote.

She also urged her fellow Congressmen and women to support the bill, insisting that “for progress sake, let’s hope Congress stands firm.”

The Israeli embassy, under orders from Netanyahu, has been lobbying to have the term “two-state solution” removed from the planned bipartisan bill.

The attempt to “block a simple bipartisan resolution” comes amid a wave of efforts in recent years by the Israeli lobby in the US, as well as in European countries, to suppress sentiments in support of Palestine, the two-state solution, and the Israeli occupation’s violations of human rights. Included in these efforts is the demonisation and banning of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in at least 27 states in the US, as well as the widespread suppression and labelling of criticism against Israel as “anti-Semitic”.

The race to fail Palestine: the two-state compromise and Trump’s ‘deal of the century’

A number of politicians who have expressed support for Palestinians’ rights have been targeted by these efforts, Omar is among the most prominent of which who has been branded anti-Semitic by political opponents for her criticism of Israel’s actions since having been appointed Minnesota Congresswoman in November 2018. Many have raised concerns that the ongoing campaign against her is due to her being the first Somali and hijab-wearing US politician to be voted in.

The two-state solution has been a contentious topic in recent years, with many claiming that it is now an impractical proposition due to the ever-increasing construction and expansion of illegal Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank, which is a violation of both international law and the Oslo Accords of 1993.

The settlements – which cover large areas of the West Bank and encircle Palestinian cities and towns – as well as the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and calls from Israeli figures such as Netanyahu to annex parts of the West Bank have made the establishment of an independent Palestinian state increasingly difficult.