The US should not give up support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, says Hillary Clinton, praising the two-state model for the region. Meanwhile 34 percent of Americans want the White House to push for a one-state solution with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.

MOSCOW, December 6 (Sputnik), Ekaterina Blinova — The Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved by establishing an independent Palestinian state, believes US potential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, amid growing skepticism among Americans regarding the US involvement in Middle Eastern affairs.

"I believe there is a necessary imperative to continue to try to achieve a resolution between Israel and the Palestinians," Hillary Clinton said at a Brookings Institution forum on US-Israeli relations, as cited by the Washington Post.

The potential presidential candidate stressed that she considered the "two-state solution" an "essential concept" of peace negotiations, referring to the fact that the United States traditionally supported the idea of creating an independent Palestinian state.

"I am well aware of everything that is going on," Hillary Clinton underscored, meaning the Israeli settlements policy, Palestinian unrest and the US failure in brokering peace negotiations this year.

The Washington Post points out that the White House has repeatedly expressed its discontent with the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing his unwillingness to bolster the stalled peace talks with Palestinian authorities. Furthermore, international critics of Israel point to the fact that the settlement policy has been plainly ruining "the two-state ideal," stressing that in the nearest future "the physical facts on the ground" would make the establishment of an independent Palestine impossible.

While Hillary Rodham Clinton claims that the US cannot afford to give up its active role in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Americans express their skepticism regarding US engagement in the Middle East. According to a recent survey conducted by the Brookings Institute and the research company GfK, the majority of Americans (64 percent) "do not lean toward Israel nor the Palestinians."

45 percent of American citizens believe the US should abstain from voting for a possible UN recognition of a Palestinian state, while only 27 percent want the White House to oppose it and 25 percent are in favor of recognition.

Remarkably, a growing number of Americans believe that the White House should promote the "one-state" concept with equal citizenship for Israelis and Arabs. The percentage of one-state proponents has risen from 24 percent to 34 percent. Among those who support the two-state model, two-thirds are inclined to support one state if creating of independent Palestine is impossible, the survey indicates.

However, about six in ten Americans still consider the Israeli Palestinian conflict "one of the top five issues" for the United State's national interests.

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