WASHINGTON (TND) — Pro-Palestinian protestors are turning up the political heat as they rally against the Biden Administration’s support for Israel.
Thursday morning, demonstrators shut down the highways leading into Washington D.C. Meanwhile, demonstrators remained camped outside Secretary of State Antony Blinken's home. They've been there for nearly a week and say they have no plans on leaving until they feel they've gotten their message across.
We’re constantly trying to think of ways to get through to this administration," one demonstrator said.
The issue is now tumbling into the 2024 presidential election.
Shouts of "Genocide Joe" interrupted President Biden’s recent campaign speech in Virginia and demonstrators yelled at Vice-President Kamala Harris during an event in California.
Amid this growing political pressure, the State Department is now reportedly looking into the idea of the U.S. recognizing a Palestinian state when the war ends, according to reporting by Axios.
While the U.S. has long supported the two-state solution, in the past American officials left negotiations up to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
To immediately be talking about how we’re going to change policy in order to placate people who support Hamas or people who are anti-Israel I think is a bad idea," said Richard Vatz, a professor Emeritus of Towson University. "This is simply not the time to talk about a two-state solution.
The Biden Administration's attempts at diplomacy are complicated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has repeatedly rejected such solutions.
Reports of the State Department’s shift come as data shows Biden is struggling to gain support from his base on the issue. A recent YouGov/Economist poll found that 51% of Biden 2020 voters believe Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is "too harsh."
