“In essence, the Israeli Knesset voted to continue to wipe Palestine off the map,” said one critic.
While Israel’s troops wage what has been widely decried as genocide on the Gaza Strip, Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing “the establishment of a Palestinian state” west of the Jordan River.
The measure passed Israel’s legislature, the Knesset, 68-9. It was spearheaded by Knesset Member Zeev Elkin of New Hope – The United Right, who shared the key messages from the resolution on social media along with a photo of the final tally.
According to Religious Zionism-affiliated Israel National News:
The proposal says, “The Israeli Knesset firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the land of Israel will pose an existential threat to the state of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and destabilise the region.”
“It will only be a matter of a short time until Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a base of radical Islamic terrorism, working in coordination with the axis led by Iran, to eliminate the state of Israel.”
“The promotion of the idea of the Palestinian state will be a reward for terrorism and will only encourage Hamas and its supporters who will 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,” the proposal reads.
Since the Hamas-led October attack on Israel, Israeli forces have killed at least 38,794 Palestinians and wounded another 89,364, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Thousands more remain missing and believed dead beneath the rubble of bombed buildings.
In addition to destroying civilian infrastructure across the Hamas-governed coastal enclave, Israel has restricted the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, even as people starve and the remaining hospitals operate at a limited capacity.
Israel faces a South Africa-led genocide case at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders.
“What is happening in Gaza is going down as the most documented genocide in history,” Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s permanent observer at the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. “When will the world denounce the crimes and stop tolerating their reoccurrence?”
The Knesset vote against a two-state solution comes as Netanyahu prepares for a trip to the United States—whose government has provided political and weapons support for Israel’s war. The prime minister is supposed to meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House next Monday before addressing a joint session of Congress, though the American leader is isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.
“The measure was intended as a way to apply pressure on Netanyahu, since he is likely to face opposite pressure from U.S. officials on a hostage deal that could include future discussions of Palestinian sovereignty,” The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday. “Netanyahu himself was not present at the vote.”
As the newspaper detailed:
Notably, National Unity chairman MK Benny Gantz supported the proposal alongside three other members of his party, which is considered centrist. The three were MKs Michael Biton, Pnina Tameno-Shete, and Chili Tropper.
Gantz said after the vote, “National Unity is committed in any future political scenario, as long as it exists, to preserve the Jewish and democratic identity of the state of Israel, and to stand up for its historical right and security interests.”
Members of various other parties—Netanyahu’s Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Yisrael Beytenu—also voted in favour of the resolution.
Republished from Common Dreams, July 17, 2024
Editors’ note:
Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese have been strident in their ”unwavering’ support for a two state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In May, Penny Wong stated the following:
“Critically, it [General Assembly Resolution (A/RES/ES-10/23)] reaffirmed “unwavering support for the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security within recognised borders.”
“This is a clear rejection of the goals and methods of Hamas. A two-state solution – Israel and Palestine – is the opposite of what Hamas wants. Hamas does not want peace.
“We condemn Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and we call for the immediate release of all hostages. The world – and governments both Labor and Liberal – have long agreed that a secure and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians will only come with a two-state solution – a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel.”
The Israeli Knesset has now rejected the establishment of a Palestinian State and a two state solution.
The state of Israel has been found to be plausibly committing the crime of genocide in Gaza by the International Court of Justice.
The International Criminal Court prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister for the suspected commission of war crimes.
The world’s collective conscience has been shocked by the killing of over 39,000 Palestinians by Israel in Gaza. A death toll now exceeding that of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki by the United States in 1945.
If Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong are to retain any credibility, they are left with no option but to withdraw the Australian ambassador to Israel, and to condemn Israel’s government in the same terms that they have used in previous statements on the conflict.
Will Penny Wong now state these words?:
The Israeli government is a terrorist organisation.
A two-state solution – Israel and Palestine – is the opposite of what Israel wants.
Israel does not want peace.
Jessica Corbett
Jessica Corbett is a staff writer for Common Dreams.