Knesset votes overwhelmingly against Palestinian statehood, days before PM’s US trip

The Knesset late Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The resolution was co-sponsored by parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition together with right-wing parties from the opposition and even received support from Benny Gantz’s centrist National Unity party.

Lawmakers from Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s center-left Yesh Atid party left the plenum to avoid backing the measure, even though he has spoken in favor of a two-state solution. The more left-leaning Labor Party followed suit. The only ones to oppose the resolution were lawmakers from the Arab-majority Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al parties.

The initiative was passed just days before Netanyahu’s visit to the US to address a joint session of Congress and meet with President Joe Biden at the White House. The move was likely to further irk Democrats uncomfortable with embracing an Israeli government that increasingly rejects a two-state solution.

Already in February, the Knesset passed a resolution sponsored by Netanyahu rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, but that motion specifically addressed the unilateral establishment of such a state amid reports that countries abroad were considering recognizing a Palestinian state absent a peace agreement with Israel.

This resolution — passed 68-9 — altogether rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, even as part of a negotiated settlement with Israel.

“The Knesset of Israel firmly 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 stated.

“It will only be a matter of a short time until Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a radical Islamic terror base, working in coordination with the Iranian-led axis to eliminate the State of Israel,” it continued. “Promoting the idea of ​​a Palestinian state at this time will be 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 takeover of jihadist Islam in the Middle East.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks against the US-led international nuclear deal with Iran in 2015 before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 3, 2015. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said in response to the vote that there is “no peace or security for anyone without the establishment of a Palestinian state” with East Jerusalem as its capital, noting that numerous UN member countries have already recognized it.

He further accused the Israeli government of “pushing the entire region into the abyss” with Washington’s support and labeled Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza as “terrorism” for the civilian deaths it has caused.

Another senior PA official, Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and a top aide to Abbas, wrote on X that the Knesset’s decision confirms Israel’s “racism,” “disregard for international law,” and “policy of perpetuating the occupation forever.”

Al-Sheikh urged countries that are hesitant to recognize a Palestinian state to do so “immediately” in order to protect the two-state solution and called on Arab states to “respond appropriately” to the resolution passed in the Knesset.

The vote came as Netanyahu’s July 24 speech was already causing consternation among many Democrats, many of whom are torn between their long-standing support for Israel and dismay over the way Israel has conducted military operations in Gaza during the war with Hamas.

While some Democrats are saying they will attend out of respect for Israel, a larger and growing faction wants no part in it, creating an extraordinarily charged atmosphere at a gathering that normally amounts to a ceremonial, bipartisan show of support for an American ally.

Further complicating matters for Biden and the Democrats is the president’s increasingly perilous political situation, with growing calls for him to drop out of the race as trails badly in polls against challenger Donald Trump.

And in a further curveball, the White House announced Wednesday that Biden would be going to Delaware to self-isolate after testing positive for COVID. It remained unclear how the development could impact Monday’s scheduled meeting with Netanyahu in Washington. Biden’s doctor saying he was taking Paxlovid, which typically has a five-day regimen, but did not specify a timetable for his expected recovery.

Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.