On a conference call with reporters on Friday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) called his trip to Israel “the most amazing trip I’ve ever been on” and expressed his belief that peace is still possible.
However, Manchin also made clear which side he believed needed to change to make peace possible.
“Netanyahu recognizes the right of Palestine to have a state and sovereignty,” Manchin said. “But I don’t see a pathway to negotiations that will lead to peace unless the Palestinians are able to acknowledge that the Jewish people of Israel have a right to their state.”
Manchin’s call was prior to this week’s swearing in of the joint Fatah-Hamas unity government. Manchin’s language closely parallels the requirements in American law that no aid should go to a Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless it “publicly acknowledged the Jewish state of Israel’s right to exist.”
In addition to Manchin, last week Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick also visited Israel.
[Photo: SenatorJoeManchin / YouTube ]