J Street believes that reaching a sustainable two-state solution that meets the needs of both sides and that lays the basis for real reconciliation is critical to American interests in the Middle East - and serves the interests of the region and the world community. It is also an essential security interest of the state of Israel.
In 2000, President Clinton outlined parameters for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2002, President Bush explicitly endorsed the two-state approach, and this formed the point of departure for the Annapolis process. It is a formulation that has broad support among Israelis and Palestinians.
The outlines of an agreement are by now well-known and widely accepted: Borders based on the 1967 lines with agreed reciprocal land swaps, allowing Israeli incorporation of a majority of settlers, as well as Palestinian viability and contiguity; a division of Jerusalem that is based on demographic realities, establishes the city as the capital of both states, and allows freedom of access to all holy sites; robust security arrangements; and resolution of the refugee issue that focuses on resettlement in the new state of Palestine, financial compensation and assistance.
The two-state solution should not simply be a lofty rhetorical refrain. It is critical to empowering our friends, reducing the opportunities for our adversaries, and enhancing American credibility in a region where the Arab-Israeli issue resounds with an intensity and emotion perhaps beyond any other single issue.
Associating American credibility with positive change on an issue that is unarguably a source of such anger and grievance throughout the region should be seen as a vital US interest, vigorously and determinedly pursued by the administration and supported by Congress. We know that America has demonstrated the capacity, when we engage wisely, to make a bad situation better. Delay now only makes achieving the goal of a two-state solution more difficult. For both Israel and the Palestinians, delay exacts a painful price. That is why pressing for a comprehensive, negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is J Street's number one priority.