Statement from the Progressive Israel Network:

As leading progressive pro-Israel organizations in the American Jewish community, we commend the House of Representatives for passing House Resolution 326. This landmark resolution, which reaffirms support for a two-state solution, marks the first time the House has formally opposed unilateral Israeli annexation of the West Bank and asserted longstanding US opposition to settlements.

The passage of this legislation comes at a critical moment. The resolution sends an urgent message to the region just days after President Trump reportedly spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the latter’s plan to annex the Jordan Valley. It is a repudiation of the Trump administration’s attempts last month to legitimize Israeli settlements on occupied territory by declaring that the US no longer views them as a violation of international law, a reversal of decades of bipartisan foreign policy. 

With Netanyahu having outlined a detailed West Bank annexation plan and taken steps to put annexation legislation before the Knesset, this threat must be taken as serious and urgent by American policymakers. The prime minister’s proposals would be a disastrous blow to the prospects for peace, would trample on Palestinan rights and international law, and would imperil Israel’s future. 

The resolution stresses the importance of a two-state solution as the only viable means of ensuring “the state of Israel’s survival as a Jewish and democratic state” and fulfilling “the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own.” As progressive organizations committed to Israel's democracy and to equality and peace, we welcome this affirmation that there is no contradiction between supporting Israel’s security and supporting the rights of Palestinians.