The United State’s representation to the UN Security Council, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on Thursday that the country is re-establish and extend the diplomatic relations with Palestine, which suffered a substantial blow and led to termination under former US President Donald Trump.

She announced that the diplomatic relations have “been guided by the premise that sustainable progress toward peace must be based on active consultations with both sides. To that end, our administration will take steps to re-open diplomatic channels of communication that were halted during the last administration”, reported CNN.

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The Trump administration went on a full-scale diplomatic tussle with the Palestinian authorities in 2017, after recognising the city of Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel and later moving announcing the relocation of the US embassy. The diplomatic ties between the two countries were halted after the US move as Palestine restricted relations with the US State Department and the White House. 

The ambassador also reaffirmed the Biden administration’s efforts to ensure the implementation of a two-state solution that will focus on peace and security in the region and emphasised on the President’s humanitarian aid package for Gaza and the West Bank, which is worth $15 million.

She said that the US initiative will agree and complement the UN resolutions in place and respect the relevant international law. However, she later added the importance of bilateral efforts in order to “advance the two-state solution.” 

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Thomas-Greenfield urged both sides to avoid “all unilateral actions that make a two-state solution more difficult to achieve,” while adding on the need for continued COVID-19 vaccine cooperation. 

The US State Department, led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, released a statement on Thursday which called the humanitarian aid package a “small step in advancing the well-being of the Palestinian people is fully in keeping with American values.”