To The Journal editor:

Back during the early days of Trump’s first term in office, it became very clear where his ideas and thoughts and even dreams about the Middle East’s well-known Israeli-Palestinian carnage continues.Very frankly, the one-state solution began to appear as the only way out of that mess, and I did write an op-ed for The Mining Journal supporting it.

Almost eight years later, it now appears that a one-state idea, simply, cannot be the solution. That, however, should not mean that there is no solution.

Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the only moments when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seemed potentially solvable have been times when the United States has taken charge. Also true is that our domestic politics have always shaped and/or limited the type and amount of pressure any American president can apply on a different country.

However, President Biden now has an opportunity that none of his predecessors who dealt with “Middle East stuff” had. In the opinion of Jonah Blank, he has been relieved of all domestic political constraints at a moment when U.S. pressure is clearly needed.

Each of his predecessors had had a lame duck period, but none coincided with such a decisive moment in this conflict. It may sound like an “out there” idea, but at this time we are desperate for new ideas.

It is possible, allowable, and with precedents. President Biden can, and in my view, should, recognize Palestinian statehood, sponsor a resolution on a two-state solution at the UN Security Council, and enforce existing U.S. legislation on arms transfers.

There are three actions which ostensibly would be relatively simple. They are also difficult to undo and together, they could help change the trajectory of the Middle East, which is currently hurtling toward catastrophe.

This is not exactly unprecedented, and President Biden could recognize Palestine the same way President Harry Truman recognized the state of Israel in 1948. In Truman’s case, official recognition consisted merely of a statement that read, “This Government has been informed that a Jewish state has been proclaimed in Palestine, and recognition has been requested by the provisional Government thereof. The United States recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the new State of Israel.”

This took place while Israelis and Arabs were engaged in battles. Yes, indeed the fighting back then was radically different than when we had been witnessing both in Gaza and more recently in Lebanon. One of the major differences is the type of weapons used, and who has access to them. This is an area where President Biden can enforce the restrictions on armaments to Israel.

Perhaps most importantly is that President Biden could organize the passage of a resolution that explicitly recognizes a sovereign Palestinian nation in the territories Israel has occupied since 1967. There are no likely vetoes: China and Russia already recognize Palestinian statehood and leaders from France and the United Kingdom have, over the past year, signaled their willingness to grant such recognition before a negotiated settlement is complete.