Jeffries calls for two-state solution and changes in Middle East policy

US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called for changes in Middle East policy and renewed his support for a two-state solution at his weekly news conference in Washington on November 12, according to Reuters and Middle East Eye.

Jeffries said his preferred settlement would give Israel security while preserving its Jewish and democratic character, alongside an independent Palestinian state. He said that state should offer Palestinians dignity and the ability to determine their own future.

His call extended beyond the proposed political settlement. Reuters reported that Jeffries also wanted changes in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as to the Memorandum of Understanding governing US military assistance to Israel.

That agreement provides Israel with $3.8 billion in American military assistance each year and is due to expire in September 2028, according to Reuters. The aid arrangement was therefore another element of the changes Jeffries advocated, alongside his position on Palestinian statehood.

The remarks followed what both outlets described as sweeping Democratic victories in the previous week's midterm elections. They reported that the party was preparing to take control of both chambers of Congress on January 3.

Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, was expected to become the next House speaker, the reports said. The anticipated change in congressional leadership would give Democrats responsibility for shaping legislation and deciding which bills receive votes next year, according to Reuters.

That legislative authority would not remove President Donald Trump's power to veto bills. Reuters noted that Congress would need a two-thirds majority in each chamber to override a presidential veto, a requirement that would also apply under Democratic congressional control.

Reuters also reported that many successful Democratic candidates had campaigned against military assistance to Israel and the US-Israeli war with Iran. The agency anticipated closer congressional examination of those issues next year, rather than reporting an agreed Democratic legislative programme.