US State Department: “No policy shift” in support of the establishment of a Palestinian state

The United States continues to support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and “there has been no policy shift” by the administration regarding that aim, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Wednesday after an Axios report suggested a shift.

“We have made quite clear publicly that we support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. That’s been the policy of the United States for some time. It’s been the policy of this administration. You’ve seen the Secretary speak about it publicly,” Miller said at a State Department briefing.

Miler added that the US was pursuing the development of the independent Palestinian state “with real security guarantees for Israel,” saying the Biden administration believed it was the best way to ensure peace and security for Israel, Palestinians and the wider region.

Miller noted that the State Department was looking at how to bring about an independent Palestinian state, and was assessing “any number of options” as a part of its planning to work out which would be effective and work best.

While he refused to detail the internal work, he said the US was assessing a variety of options which they will discuss with partners in the Middle East and within the US government, “but there has been no policy change,” he reiterated.