H.Res. 326 passed but it was a significantly watered down version of previous resolution text.
By Josh Ruebner | Mondoweiss | Dec 9, 2019
Democrats primarily rehashed the supposed benefits of a negotiated two-state resolution while refusing to offer any meaningful ideas on how to get there in light of both major Israeli political parties’ opposition to the idea.
The House of Representatives narrowly passed along mostly partisan lines on Friday its most significant piece of legislation on the Israeli-Palestinian impasse this congressional session.
H.Res.326, a non-binding resolution, affirms that “only” a negotiated two-state resolution to the issue “can both ensure the state of Israel’s survival as a Jewish and democratic state and fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own”.
The resolution was adopted 226-188 with two Representatives abstaining.
The much-ballyhooed resolution, enthusiastically trumpeted by J Street, was never more than a reiteration of woefully out-of-date policy prescriptions, but it originally called for an end to Israeli military occupation and settlement activity, and opposed Israel’s annexation of the West Bank. However, the statement was significantly watered down in the House Foreign Affairs Committee by its chair, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), who presided over a process which stripped all reference to opposing occupation and restricted opposition to only the expansion of settlements.
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