US President Joe Biden on Friday afternoon spoke following his meeting with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, emphasizing his commitment to the two-state solution.
"As President of the United States, my commitment to that goal of a two-state solution has not changed," Biden said, adding that in his opinion, there need to be "two states for two people, both of whom have deep and ancient roots in this land, living side by side in peace and security."
"Every person has a right to be treated with dignity," he added. "The Palestinian people are hurting now, you can just feel it, your grief and frustration. in the United States we can feel it."
"We can't allow the hopelessness to steal away the future."
According to Biden, "even if the ground is not ripe at this moment to restart negotiations, the United States and my administration will not give up on trying to bring the Palestinians and Israelis and both sides closer together."
Noting the improvement in relations between Israel and Arab countries, Biden stressed, "We can harness that same momentum to reinvigorate the peace process between the Palestinian people and the Israelis."
"Above all there must be an end to the violence that has devastated too many families," he emphasized.
On Jerusalem as the capital of a future "Palestinian state," Biden said, "Jerusalem is central to the national visions of both Palestinians and Israelis, to your histories to your faiths to your futures. Jerusalem must be a city for all its people."
"Throughout this holy land...we must all be free to practice our faith in peace, in safety, and in dignity. We cannot wait for a peace agreement to be reached. The Palestinian people deserve a state o their own, that is democratic, sovereign, and contiguous."
Adding that the Palestinian Authority itself has much to do to better the lives of its people, Biden urged internal change, and stressed, "The best way to feed the flame of hope is to demonstrate that things can be better."
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas spoke as well, calling on the United States of America to 'end the settlements and demolition of houses, investigate the death of Shireen Abu Aqleh, and remove the PLO from its list of terrorist organizations." Abbas added 'We are not terrorists. We seek a stable and sustainable peace."