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I think it’s fair to say that most mainstream Democrats and Republicans favor a two-state solution to the Israel/Palestine issue. There are some who have a position to the right of this, namely that there shouldn’t be a Palestinian state at all, and Israel should expand its territory into Gaza and the West Bank while maintaining its identity as a Jewish state, with some like Rick Santorum even advocating that Israel should expand to include the land that is now Jordan. Others like Peter Beinart have a position to the left of this, namely that there should be a single state in which all Israelis and all Palestinians have citizenship and that this state should be a secular democracy rather than a Jewish state.

I’m interested in how mainstream the second position is in American politics. So my question is, how many Congressional Democrats have advocated for a one state solution?

I think this is a good proxy for what I’m interested in, since I’m quite sure that any Democratic supporters of a one-state solution would support the “left-wing” one state solution rather than the “right-wing” one state solution.

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  • Arguably the most influential Democratic member of Congress on Israel (or practically any other issue) would be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He reaffirmed support for the two-state solution during the Trump Administration's departure from supporting it, although he tends to give Israel generous leeway in interpreting defense actions within the two-state framework. The overwhelming majority of the party follows his lead on the subject. Schumer is also a vocal opponent of BDS and introduced anti-BDS legislation, although that bill met resistance due to 1st amendment issues.
    – Pete W
    Commented May 25, 2021 at 17:37

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At least one: Rashida Tlaib (US Representative for Michigan's 13th district). Based on my quick search, I think she might be the only congressional Democrat to speak out in favor of a one-state solution.

According to Haartz:

Rashida Tlaib, the Democratic nominee in a surefire congressional district comprising parts of Detroit, believes in a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and says she would vote against military assistance for Israel.

According to the Washington Post:

Tlaib, 44, had been an outlier in her party and Congress more broadly regarding Israel. She has supported the boycott, divestment and sanction movement to punish Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. And she has embraced a “one-state solution” that would combine Israel and the occupied territories into one democratic country with the potential to create a majority-Palestinian population rather than a Jewish state.

The liberal pro-Israel group J Street rescinded its endorsement of her in 2018 because she refused to “publicly express unequivocal support” for a “two-state solution,” the position espoused by Biden and many from both parties in which a Palestinian state would be created and coexist with Israel.

It's not a popular position among congressional Democrats, as the Washington Post article continues:

Tlaib has not won support from her colleagues for a one-state solution, but the fact that Biden, a longtime pro-Israel hawk, was willing to grant an audience to one of Israel’s most prominent U.S. critics demonstrated the emerging clout of Democrats seeking to upend the status quo on U.S. policy in the region.

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  • I’ve changed my question from “have any” to “how many”. So do you know of any more besides Rashida Tlaib?
    – Keshav Srinivasan
    Commented May 25, 2021 at 17:00
  • @KeshavSrinivasan No. I've found a few more who are hesitant about a two-state solution (namely, the Squad), but they (except for Tlaib) don't go as far as to speak out in favor of a one-state solution.
    – JJJ ♦
    Commented May 25, 2021 at 17:12
  • That article just says that Ilhan Omar opposed the resolution because she opposes US military aid to Israel, she still fully supports a two state solution. But yeah, I’m interested in actual one state supporters, not merely people who have not come out in support of two state.
    – Keshav Srinivasan
    Commented May 25, 2021 at 17:15
  • @KeshavSrinivasan Yea, I think it's just the one who's outspoken in favor of a one-state solution. In fairness though, I think it's a bit of a trick question to make it a binary choice when it really isn't. It's like asking if you like coffee or tea when you might take a more nuanced view liking some tea and some coffee variants while disliking others. Will the specific solution be fair to all the people involved in the conflict?
    – JJJ ♦
    Commented May 25, 2021 at 17:20

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