Israeli parliament votes against establishment of Palestinian state

The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) voted in the early hours of Thursday (18) against the establishment of a Palestinian state “on principle”.

The resolution denying the possibility of a Palestinian state, co-sponsored by parties in Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition and other like-minded opposition parties, was approved with 68 votes in favor and nine against.

The center-right National Unity party of former War Cabinet minister Benny Gantz – now in opposition – also voted in favor of the resolution, which rejects a Palestinian state even as part of negotiations with Israel.

“National Unity is committed, in whatever future political scenario may arise, to preserving the Jewish and democratic identity of the State of Israel and to insisting on its historic rights and security interests,” the group said in a statement.

Lawmakers from the centrist Há Futuro party, led by opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, left the chamber before the vote. He had spoken out in favor of a two-state solution.

The only parties in favor of a Palestinian state were the Labor Party and the Arab parties Raam and Hadash-Taal.

The initiative comes just days before Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the United States to address a joint session of Congress on July 22 and also meet with President Joe Biden, a meeting that could be affected after the US leader tested positive for Covid-19.

Back in February, Parliament passed a resolution, proposed by Netanyahu himself, rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, but that motion specifically addressed the unilateral establishment of such a state in the face of statements by several countries that they were considering recognizing a Palestinian state.

Nine countries unilaterally recognized the Palestinian state in 2024, motivated by the lack of a diplomatic solution to the war in the Gaza Strip: Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Armenia.

The joint recognition by three EU countries – Spain, Ireland and Norway – has sparked great outrage in Israel, which has recalled its ambassadors for consultations.

In total, 145 countries out of the 193 countries that are part of the United Nations have recognized the Palestinian State, with a dozen of them belonging to the European Union (EU).

“The Israeli Parliament strongly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel will pose an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region,” the resolution adopted Thursday said.

“It will only be a matter of time before Hamas takes control of the Palestinian state and turns it into a radical Islamic terrorist base, in coordination with the Iran-led axis to eliminate the State of Israel,” he adds.

The resolution considers that promoting the idea of ​​a Palestinian state at this time is “a reward for terrorism and will only encourage Hamas and its supporters to see this as a victory thanks to the massacre of October 7, 2023 and a prelude to the seizure of power by jihadist Islam in the Middle East.”

The resolution was initially proposed by the right-wing New Hope party – a splinter group from Netanyahu’s Likud – whose leader Guideon Saar said its aim was “to express the general opposition of the Israeli people to a Palestinian state, which would jeopardize the security and future of Israel.”

“It is a message to the international community that pressure to impose a Palestinian state on Israel is futile,” he argued.

Palestinian Authority (PA) spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh claimed that without the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, “there will be no peace and no security for anyone.”

Hamas also vehemently rejected the Knesset vote, calling it an “invalid decision.”

“It is an invalid decision issued by an occupying party that has no legitimacy on Palestinian lands,” the terrorist group, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, said in a statement.