- Israel’s parliament rejects Palestinian statehood
- Resolution cites Palestinian state as “existential threat”
- Global and local condemnations follow the vote
Israel’s parliament has voted a resolution overwhelmingly rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to Israeli media.
The Knesset passed the resolution with 68 votes in favor and nine against it early Thursday.
It stated that a Palestinian state would be “an existential threat to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilizing the region.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of far-right parties co-sponsored the resolution. According to the Times of Israel, opposition leader Yair Lapid’s centre-left party departed the session to avoid backing the statement despite previously stating that he supported a two-state solution.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, condemned the resolution’s passage.
No Zionist party in either the administration or the opposition voted against the resolution, he wrote on X.
According to Barghouti, this resolution implies a rejection of peace with the Palestinians as well as an official statement of the death of the Oslo agreement.
The Oslo Accords, agreed by Palestinian and Israeli leaders in 1993, envisioned a viable and sovereign Palestinian state coexisting alongside an Israeli state.
However, Israel has continued to implement policies such as illegal settlements on Palestinian territory throughout the occupied West Bank and a total siege of Gaza.
Hussein al-Sheikh, a Palestinian Authority official, condemned the resolution on social media, saying the Knesset’s rejection “confirms the racism of the occupying state, its disregard for international law and legitimacy, and its insistence on the approach and policy of perpetuating the occupation forever.
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the resolution’s passage as a “dangerous” violation of international law.
Israel’s continued efforts to deny the Palestinians’ inalienable right to an independent and sovereign state modeled after June 4, 1967, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital, do not contribute to regional security and peace, according to a statement cited by ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah.
It will only be a matter of a short time before Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a radical Islamic terror base, working in conjunction with the Iranian-led axis to obliterate the State of Israel, according to the resolution, which was published in The Times of Israel.
It went on to say that establishing a Palestinian state now would be a “reward for terrorism and will only encourage Hamas and its supporters to see this as a victory,” referring to the Hamas-led strikes in southern Israel on October 7 that sparked the current conflict.
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The vote, however, is not unprecedented for the Knesset, which has previously rejected Palestinian statehood.
An increasing number of countries, including Spain, Slovenia, Norway, and Ireland, have accepted Palestinian statehood.
The resolution comes as Netanyahu prepares to address the United States Congress next week in Washington, DC, causing divides among Democratic Party politicians who have spoken out against Israel’s behavior in the Gaza war.
On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that Israel’s stance in the occupied West Bank jeopardized any chance of a two-state solution.
Israel is transforming the landscape of the West Bank through administrative and legal measures, Guterres said in a statement read by his chief of staff, Courtenay Rattray, at a UN Security Council meeting.
Recent developments are driving a stake through the heart of any prospect for a two-state solution,” said Mr. Trump. “We must shift course. “All settlement activity must end immediately.”
The UN head also stated that the settlements were a clear violation of international law and an impediment to peace with the Palestinians.
