Biden State Department Reportedly Tasked With Coming Up With Options For How to Recognize a Palestinian State

Axios’s Barak Ravid reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration is looking at how to recognize a Palestinian state.

Ravid reported, “Secretary of State Tony Blinken asked the State Department to conduct a review and present policy options on possible U.S. and international recognition of a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza, two U.S. officials briefed on the issue told Axios.”

President Joe Biden has received of bevy of criticism from the base and left wing of his party in recent months over his staunch pro-Israel posture since October 7th and during Israel’s war on Hamas inside Gaza, which has resulted in mass casualties.

“While U.S. officials say there has been no policy change, the fact the State Department is even considering such options signals a shift in thinking within the Biden administration on possible Palestinian statehood recognition, which is highly sensitive both internationally and domestically,” Ravid wrote of the impact of the move.

CNN’s Brianna Keilar asked Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) about the report on Wednesday.

“I want to ask you about something pretty important, though, which is, Barak Ravid of Axios, who is an analyst here at CNN as well, has reported that Secretary of State Blinken has asked the State Department to review policy options for possible U.S. and international recognition of Palestine as a state. And this is coming a day after the UK foreign minister, said that the UK will consider doing that, in an effort to help end the war. How do you react to that possibility?” Keilar asked.

“It’s a much longer conversation. First of all, what are they considering to be Palestine?” Crenshaw replied, adding:

Are they considering Gaza to be Palestine, or are they referring to the West Bank? I’d love to hear their reasoning as to how they assess it might improve the situation. Look, we as Americans, Democrat and Republican, have been trying to figure out whether it’s a one state or a two state solution for 30 years at this point.

It doesn’t work because we’re not the ones who live there, and we don’t understand the history that literally lives within each and every one of those Israelis and Palestinians. So at first it strikes me as a bit naive, given the current situation. But, this is the first I’ve heard about it. So all the way more details.

Watch the clip above.