US renews talk of Palestinian state but prospects bleak

With Israel's campaign against Hamas raging, the United States has renewed calls to work toward a Palestinian state. But few expect success now after decades of failure.

President Joe Biden's administration, which has faced heated criticism in the Arab world for supporting Israel's retaliation over an October 7 Hamas attack that largely targeted civilians, has in recent days subtly changed tone by emphasizing the need to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians.

Speaking Friday on his latest trip to Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for "humanitarian pauses" to let in assistance and said that longer term a two-state solution was "the best viable path — indeed, the only path."

"That's the only guarantor of a secure, Jewish and democratic Israel; the only guarantor of Palestinians realizing their legitimate right to live in a state of their own, enjoying equal measures of security, freedom, opportunity and dignity; the only way to end a cycle of violence once and for all," Blinken said in Tel Aviv.