US President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s speech at the UN General Assembly, in which he expressed support for a “two-state solution” for the Israel-Palestinian Arab conflict.
“I welcome Prime Minister Lapid's courageous statement at the UN General Assembly: ‘An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy, and for the future of our children,’” tweeted Biden.
“I could not agree more,” he added.
In his speech, Lapid said that "Israel's economic and military strength allows us to protect ourselves but it also allows us something else: To strive for peace with the entire Arab world, and with our closest neighbors – the Palestinians."
"Peace is not a compromise. It is the most courageous decision we can make. Peace is not weakness. It embodies within it the entire might of human spirit," he said.
Israel, said Lapid, has "only one condition" for the establishment of a Palestinian state: "That a future Palestinian state will be a peaceful one. That it will not become another terror base from which to threaten the well-being, and the very existence of Israel. That we will have the ability to protect the security of all the citizens of Israel, at all times."
"You can ask us to live according to the values in the UN Charter, but you cannot ask us to die for them," he added.
Biden, in his own speech before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, briefly touched on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
“We will continue to advocate for a lasting, negotiated peace between the Jewish and democratic State of Israel and the Palestinian people. The United States is committed to Israel’s security. Full stop," Biden said.