Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in his speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday will express his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, senior Israeli officials said.
Why it matters: It will be the first time Lapid as prime minister has publicly backed a two-state solution. The Israeli officials stressed Lapid will make clear that the establishment of a Palestinian state must have security arrangements for Israel.
- It will also be the first time since 2017 that an Israeli prime minister has publicly expressed support for a two-state solution.
- Flashback: Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for the two-state solution in a speech in May 2009. He repeated his support several times, including at the UN, but backtracked and didn't express clear support for a Palestinian state after former President Trump assumed office in 2017.
What they're saying: The Israeli official said Lapid decided to make his position on the two-state solution clear before the Nov. 1 elections because he believes it is “part of the honesty that is needed from politicians … to say what they stand for and where the country needs to go."
- "Separation from the Palestinians needs to be part of Israel’s political vision," a senior Israeli official said.
Yes, but: The Israeli official said Lapid doesn’t have plans at the moment to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and he doesn’t see peace talks resuming in the near future.
- “If Lapid thought that meeting Abbas would be effective right now, he would have done it," the Israeli official said.
What to watch: Abbas is expected to give a fiery speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday, expressing his frustration with the stagnant Israel-Palestine peace process.
- With Abbas' domestic position weakening, his UN speech is a rare opportunity to protest the current situation. It will likely include harsh criticism against Israel.
- Abbas had threatened to use his speech to call for a vote at the Security Council on giving Palestine full UN membership, but U.S. officials say he's unlikely to follow through after pressure from the Biden administration and countries including Jordan and Egypt.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister and the EU foreign policy chief will convene a closed-door meeting Wednesday with representatives from 25 countries on ways to reinvigorate the Arab Peace Initiative.
- U.S. and Palestinian officials will attend. Israel was not invited.
- The 2002 initiative promised the full normalization of ties between Arab countries and Israel in return for the establishment of a Palestinian state. But the relevance of the initiative is now in question after four Arab countries normalized relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords prior to Palestinian statehood.
