Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) and 78 Members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama encouraging the president to continue working towards a two-state solution.

Congressman Nadler said, “The two state solution is the hallmark of U.S. and Israeli policy and is widely accepted as the only way of maintaining Israeli’s long-term security and of ensuring that Israel remains both a democratic and a Jewish state.”     

The text of the letter and signers can be found below:

The President
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As staunch supporters of Israel, we are firmly committed to ensuring that it remains a secure and democratic homeland for the Jewish people.  That is why we are writing to express to you our deep concern over recent comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissing the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to express our appreciation of your strong reiteration of US support for this long-standing policy.

In the run-up to the Israeli election on March 17, Prime Minister Netanyahu, when interviewed by the press, appeared to drop his support of a two-state solution—claiming that no Palestinian state would be established while he is prime minister.  This is particularly troubling given that support for a two-state solution has been part of U.S. policy over four administrations, including your own.  Moreover, it is widely accepted as the only way of maintaining Israel’s long-term security and of ensuring that Israel remains both a Jewish and a democratic state.

This is why we urge you to persevere in reaffirming that the two-state solution is still achievable and that it, and the joint U.S.-Israel commitment to shared democratic values and to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, remains fundamental to U.S. policy.  We expect the U.S. and Israeli governments always to pursue a policy aimed at ensuring the maintenance of democratic values and the pursuit of peace.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to continuing to work with you and your administration on all important issues regarding our dear ally, Israel.

Sincerely,

    Jerrold Nadler
    Pete Aguilar
    Karen Bass
    Ami Bera
    Donald S. Beyer, Jr.
    Earl Blumenauer
    Suzanne Bonamici
    Madeleine Z. Bordallo
    Robert A. Brady
    Lois Capps
    Michael E. Capuano
    Matt Cartwright
    David N. Cicilline
    Katherine Clark
    Yvette D. Clarke
    James E. Clyburn
    Steve Cohen
    Gerald E. Connolly
    John Conyers, Jr.
    Joe Courtney
    Peter DeFazio
    Suzan DelBene
    Mark DeSaulnier
    Lloyd Doggett
    Mike Doyle
    Donna F. Edwards
    Keith Ellison
    Anna Eshoo
    Sam Farr
    Chaka Fattah
    Al Green
    Raúl M. Grijalva
    Luis V. Gutierrez
    Mike Honda
    Jared Huffman
    Sheila Jackson Lee
    Hakeem Jeffries
    Henry C. "Hank" Johnson
    Eddie Bernice Johnson
    Marcy Kaptur
    Ron Kind
    Ann McLane Kuster
    John B. Larson
    Brenda L. Lawrence
    Barbara Lee
    John Lewis
    Dave Loebsack
    Alan S. Lowenthal
    Sean Patrick Maloney
    Doris O. Matsui
    Jim McDermott
    James P. McGovern
    Jerry McNerney
    Gwen Moore
    Eleanor Holmes Norton
    Donald M. Payne, Jr.
    Scott Peters
    Chellie Pingree
    Stacey Plaskett
    Mark Pocan
    Jared Polis
    David Price
    Charles Rangel
    Bobby L. Rush
    Tim Ryan
    Jan Schakowsky
    Bobby Scott
    José E. Serrano
    Louise Slaughter
    Adam Smith
    Jackie Speier
    Mark Takano
    Paul Tonko
    Niki Tsongas
    Chris Van Hollen
    Nydia M. Velazquez
    Bonnie Watson Coleman
    Peter Welch
    John Yarmuth