The White House announced today that it was moving to restore relations with Palestine and restart aid packages to the Palestinian people, reversing a Trump administration policy, in a step to advance Biden’s two-state solution to Middle East unrest, the Associated Press reports.

Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Mills told the UN Security Council, saying that the Biden Administration believes the two-state solution “remains the best way to ensure Israel’s future as a democratic and Jewish state while upholding the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for a state of their own and to live with dignity and security.”

Under the direction of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the previous administration took an avowedly pro-Israel position that slashed aid to Palestinians and recognized Israeli claims to disputed territory.  In return, a settlement on the West Bank was named after Trump and Kushner had a “peace garden” in Jerusalem named in his honor. 

“Under the new administration, the policy of the United States will be to support a mutually agreed two-state solution, one in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state,” Mills said.

“President Biden has been clear that he intends to restore U.S. assistance programs that support economic development programs and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and to take steps to reopen diplomatic relations that were closed by the last U.S. administration,.” Mills said.