Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has come under scrutiny for an opinion piece he wrote 30 years ago, now that the Democrat is a top contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday.
As a 20-year-old student at the University of Rochester in 1993, Shapiro wrote in "Peace Not Possible," which ran in the student newspaper: "Using history as precedent, peace between Arabs and Israelis is virtually impossible and will never come."
He went on to write: "Palestinians will not coexist peacefully. They do not have the capabilities to establish their own homeland and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States. They are too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own."
Shapiro spokesman Manual Bonder said in a statement that the governor's position has evolved over the past three decades and he now supports a two-state solution.
"Governor Shapiro has built close, meaningful, informative relationships with many Muslim-American, Arab-American, Palestinian Christian, and Jewish community leaders all across Pennsylvania," Bonder said. "The governor greatly values their perspectives and the experiences he has learned from over the years — and as a result, as with many issues, his views on the Middle East have evolved into the position he holds today."
Shapiro responded to reporters on Friday, saying his previous views do not represent his current assessment of the Middle East.
"I was 20. I have said for years, years before Oct. 7, that I favor a two-state solution: Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully side by side, being able to determine their own futures and their own destiny."
Shapiro's comments follow reports on Monday of a coalition of left-leaning lawmakers urging Harris to consider candidates more aligned with contemporary liberal issues even as Harris is giving signals that Shapiro will join her on the ticket. The signatories suggested Democratic Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Andy Bashear of Kentucky for their "core Democratic values."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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