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Mideast Solution Obvious But Political Will Blocked by Powerful Israel Lobby, Economist Sachs Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The solution to the crisis in the Middle East is obvious but remains obstructed by the powerful pro-Israel lobby in the United States, Jeffrey Sachs, a world-renowned economist and president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, told Sputnik.

"This solution is rather obvious, but the political will has so far been blocked by the powerful Israel lobby," Sachs said. Sachs suggested that peace in the Middle East would be possible if the United States stopped vetoing Palestine’s membership in the United Nations and worked with other permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, to implement a two-state solution. A two-state solution should establish a State of Palestine alongside Israel on the basis of the internationally recognized border that existed between the two countries on June 4, 1967, prior to the Six Day War, Sachs said.

The Palestinian state should have East Jerusalem as its recognized capital and have control over Islamic holy sites, Sachs added. The United Nations could impose peacekeepers and other actions to ensure the security of both Israel and Palestine, Sachs said..