No Palestinian state west of the Jordan River, declares Israel's Knesset

The Israel Members of Knesset declared their opposition to a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River in a majority vote on Wednesday evening.

The proposal was brought forward by Knesset Member Ze’ev Elkin of Gideon Sa’ar’s recently re-established New Hope Party.

Before the vote, Elkin pointed out the many empty chairs in the chamber, criticizing the parties “that would prefer to be absent from the debate, because coming to the Israeli public and saying that they do not rule out the establishment of a Palestinian state is not acceptable even among their public.”

The declarative motion was eventually adopted by a vote of 68 for and 9 against out of a total of 120 Knesset members, with the only opposing voices coming from the Arab parties, Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al.

כנסת ישראל מתנגדת באופן נחרץ להקמת מדינה פלסטינית ממערב לירדן.
הקמת מדינה פלסטינית בלב ארץ ישראל תהווה סכנה קיומית למדינת ישראל ולאזרחיה, תנציח את הסכסוך הישראלי-פלסטיני ותערער את היציבות באזור.
זאת תהיה רק שאלה של זמן קצר עד שחמאס ישתלט על המדינה הפלסטינית ויהפוך אותה לבסיס… pic.twitter.com/C82nXrznuc

— Zeev Elkin (@zeev_elkin) July 17, 2024

Most members of the other parties, such as Likud, National Unity, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Jewish Power, Yisrael Beytenu and Religious Zionism, voted for the bill.

However, many leading Knesset members were absent, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party reportedly instructed its members not to vote.

The full text of the bill read as follows: “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.”

“It would only be a matter of a short time until Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a radical Islamic terrorist base, 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.”

New Hope party head, Sa’ar, explained that “the decision is intended to express the overwhelming opposition that exists among the people to the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel's security and its future.”

“The decision signals to the international community that pressures to impose a Palestinian state on Israel will be futile. We will not succeed in convincing our friends in the world if we do not speak clearly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, which is a threat to the State of Israel,” he added.

Benny Gantz's National Unity party later released a statement clarifying that, at this moment, they see the establishment of a Palestinian state "as a reward for terrorism and Hamas."

However, the party added it "under any possible future political scenario [for a Palestinian state] be committed to preserve the Jewish and democratic identity of the State of Israel, and to stand up for its historical right and security interests."

National Unity MK Gadi Eisenkot, seen as more left-leaning than Gantz, was absent from the vote.

Back in February, Israel’s government and the Knesset had declared their opposition to the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state by other nations.

At the end of May, Ireland, Norway, Spain and Slovenia formally recognized a “State of Palestine,” with Armenia following suit in June.