A group of US senators introduced on Thursday the first Senate resolution to urge recognition of a Palestinian state, further signaling a shift in Washington sentiment toward Israel nearly two years into its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Democratic-led measure is unlikely to pass the chamber where President Donald Trump’s Republicans have a 53-47 majority. Trump said on Thursday he disagreed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over whether to recognize a Palestinian state and no Republicans have joined efforts to do so.
Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who is leading the effort, said in a statement: “America has a responsibility to lead, and the time to act is now.”
The resolution urges US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel and would offer both sides hope while boosting prospects for peace, Merkley said.
In the House of Representatives, Ro Khanna of California is circulating a letter hoping to rally support for recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The Senate actions reflect a shift among lawmakers toward pressuring Israel to end the war and ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the conflict approaches the two-year mark.
Israel has said recognizing a Palestinian state will be a reward for Hamas and be seen by the terror group and many Palestinians as a direct result of the atrocities committed on October 7, 2023 which sparked the war in Gaza.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Senate resolution’s other co-sponsors are Democrats Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Peter Welch of Vermont, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, as well as Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
Sanders on Wednesday became the first US senator to describe events in Gaza as a genocide, a charge Israel has strongly rejected.
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry claimed this week that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel said the findings were biased and based on unverified evidence.
A handful of US allies are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state as world leaders meet at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.
A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll last month showed that 58% of Americans believe that every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a nation.
In London, Trump said Thursday he wanted all hostages released immediately, and “we want the fighting to stop.” He said the US was “working very hard on Israel and Gaza and all that’s happening over there,” and that it was “going to get done.”
The United States once again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday that demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages after saying that the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas.
All 14 other members of the United Nations’ most powerful body voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, blasted the new resolution, saying that it would “not release the hostages and will not bring security to the region.”
“Israel will continue to fight Hamas and protect its citizens, even if the Security Council prefers to turn a blind eye to terrorism,” he said in a statement Thursday.
Israeli forces have pressed on with a new ground offensive in Gaza City. The latest Israeli operation, which started Tuesday, further escalates the conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushes any ceasefire and hostage release deal further out of reach. The Israeli military, which says it wants to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” hasn’t given a timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take months.
The war began when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages to Gaza. Terror groups are still holding 47 of them captive in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 25 confirmed dead by Israeli authorities.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 65,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Israel says it had killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught. Israel says it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.