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“The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel would pose an existential threat to the State of Israel and its citizens, would perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and undermine stability in the region,” the resolution said.
Of the 120 members of the Knesset, 68 voted in favor, while nine members of Arab parties voted against. The rest were restricted or did not even attend the meeting.
The resolution added: “It is only a matter of time before Hamas takes over the State of Palestine and turns it into a base of radical Islamic terror, working in collaboration with the Iranian-led axis dedicated to the destruction of the State of Israel.”
Peace Now, a non-governmental organization that advocates for a two-state solution, called the vote “populist, disastrous and harmful to the prospects for a regional deal to end the war.”
“A Palestinian state is in Israel’s interests,” the group said, according to Israeli media Haaretz. “A two-state solution is the only guarantee of Israel’s security and democracy and would be a real victory over Hamas and Iran.”
The right-wing conservative coalition party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which opinion polls show has become Israel’s most popular party and set to win the next parliamentary election, and the opposition led by Benny Gantz both voted in favor of the measure.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on Platform X that the Knesset voted against the creation of a Palestinian state “not now, not in the future, not unilaterally and not as part of a deal.”
“The awakening of the vast majority of Israeli society is incredible. Now is the time for sovereignty,” Smotrich stressed, referring to the annexation of the occupied West Bank, Haaretz added.
Israeli media reported that the opposition party of Yair Lapid, considered a supporter of a two-state solution that envisions an independent, democratic Palestinian state alongside Israel, did not vote. That solution is advocated by the United States, the European Union and most United Nations member states.
Daily News
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