American Diplomat Says Defending Israel Tougher Without 2-State Commitment

Image by Getty Images
A new Israeli government that does not back a two-state solution will make the U.S. job of defending Israel “a lot tougher,” according to a top State Department official.
Wendy Sherman, the undersecretary of state leading Iran talks, on Monday addressed the biennial of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center.
“We have always had Israel’s back in the international arena,” Sherman said, but noted caveats about a two-state solution expressed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during March elections.
“We will be watching very closely to see what happens after a government is formed on this issue,” she said. “If a new Israeli government is seen as stepping back from its commitment to a two-state solution — something all of you and vast majority American Jews support — that makes our job in the international community a lot tougher.”
Sherman also strongly defended the nuclear talks between Iran and major powers.
“We will have eyes into every part of Iran’s nuclear program from cradle to grave,” she said of a nuclear agreement with a June 30 deadline. “If we detect Iran is trying to break its commitments or violate the agreement, we will have every single option on the table.”
Sherman cast her work on the agreement, which has drawn sharp objections from Netanyahu and Republicans, as in line with her upbringing in Baltimore’s Reform Jewish community.
“Every time I hear President Obama talk, I’m always struck about how personally he feels about those issues,” she said, referring to issues of concern to Jews and Israel. “This deep-seated feeling is what drives his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security. It’s also what drives this administration’s approach to the Iranian nuclear threat. We understand Israel is in a tough neighborhood. That’s why we’ve given Israel more security assistance than any other admin in history.”
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
-
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.