Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) began circulating a draft letter among House Democrats asking the Trump administration to make the United States join other nations in recognizing a Palestinian state.
The Democratic-led effort comes after France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Malta have all recently announced their intentions to recognize Palestinian statehood amid the Israel-Hamas war. Khanna hopes the U.S. will also do so.
“We therefore welcome French President Emmaunuel [sic] Macron’s announcement that, in addition to continuing to press for a ceasefire, release of the hostages and a massive humanitarian aid effort in Gaza, France will officially recognize Palestinian statehood in September,” says the letter, which is addressed to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“We encourage the governments of other countries that have yet to recognize Palestinian statehood, including the United States, to do so as well,” it added.
Khanna announced on Thursday that the letter was leaked after Jewish Insider reported on the correspondence, which was not yet ready for publication.
“Someone leaked our effort to try to sabotage it. Sad. It won’t work,” Khanna posted on X. “Recognizing a Palestinian state is an idea whose time has come. The response of my colleagues has been overwhelming. We will build support and release prior to the U.N. convening.”
At least 11 House Democrats, including Khanna, have signed the letter. The other signatories are Reps. Greg Casar (TX), Veronica Escobar (TX), Lloyd Doggett (TX), Al Green (TX), Mark Pocan (WI), Jared Huffman (CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), Pramila Jayapal (WA), Maxwell Frost (FL), and Jim McGovern (MA), according to the Hill. The draft does not feature the signatures.
In recent days, France first indicated it would recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The U.K. soon followed suit but stipulated it would only recognize a Palestinian state next month if Israel does not make substantial progress in ending its war with Hamas in Gaza by then. The U.K. wants Israel to agree to a lasting ceasefire, vow to never annex the West Bank, and commit to a two-state solution.
Canada and Malta also announced they would recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. summit in September.
With the Trump administration back in power, the U.S. has stood by Israel amid the conflict and opposed any effort to recognize Palestinian statehood as long as Hamas controls Gaza. Both the State Department and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee have condemned France’s decision, saying the European nation is rewarding Hamas for its Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
The U.S. is currently seeking a plan to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza, as Palestinians suffer from a hunger crisis. Huckabee and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff visited the food distribution sites in the war-torn territory on Friday.
“As French President Macron made clear, a viable Palestinian state will need to fully recognize Israel and be demilitarized, including the disarmament of and relinquishing of power by Hamas, and consolidate the authority of the Palestinian Authority across its territories in order to be broadly embraced by the community of nations,” Khanna’s letter says. “We will need to work closely with our Arab allies, the Palestinian people, and Israel to make this feasible.”
“We believe recognizing Palestinian statehood and obligating Palestinian leaders to abide by the international law binding on states and their governments will make that far more achievable and sustainable than decades of statelessness and repression have.”
You can read the letter in full below:
Khanna Palestinian statehood letter to President Trump and Secretary Rubio by web-producers on Scribd
