A decision issued by the Israeli parliament (Knesset) late last night to refuse to recognize the Palestinian state and consider it an “existential threat to Israel” has drawn Arab and foreign condemnations, which saw the decision as “an insistence on challenging the international community and international legitimacy decisions.”
The Knesset decision was supported by both coalition and opposition parties, with the exception of Arab members.
The text of the resolution stated, “The Knesset strongly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan and considers the establishment of a state in the heart of the Land of Israel to constitute an existential threat to the State of Israel and its citizens, and will lead to the perpetuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilization of the region.”
The text of the resolution warns of Hamas taking control of the Palestinian state if it is established, as happened in the Gaza Strip. It states, “It will only be a short time before Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into an extremist Islamic terrorist base.”
Condemnations of this decision soon followed.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement saying that it “condemns the Knesset’s decision and considers it an official insistence on rejecting the Palestinian state and opposing peace.” It added, “The embodiment of the Palestinian state is a legitimate right of our people guaranteed by international legitimacy resolutions.”
Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a comment on the Knesset decision, “There will be no peace or security for anyone” without the establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry also condemned the Knesset decision, saying it constituted “a new and serious violation of international law and a continued challenge to the international community.”
“All decisions and steps taken by Israel, the occupying power, are null and void and must be rescinded, and do not change the reality of its occupation of Palestinian territories,” the ministry spokesman said. He called for international action to stop “Israel’s ongoing war on the Palestinians and the war crimes it is committing in the Gaza Strip.”
A decision that coincides with the storming of Al-Aqsa courtyards
In Cairo, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the Knesset’s decision to reject the establishment of a Palestinian state, considering it a “clear evasion of international legitimacy resolutions and the terms of reference of the peace process.”
The Foreign Ministry also condemned in its statement the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards by an Israeli minister, and stressed the seriousness of what all these measures represent, “as an irresponsible escalation that Egypt has repeatedly warned against.”
Egypt also stressed in the Foreign Ministry statement that it will continue its efforts to reach a just, comprehensive and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Arab League and Gulf States
The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, stressed his condemnation of the Israeli Knesset’s announcement, stressing that this announcement, which coincided with the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, aims to “legitimize the apartheid occupation against the Palestinian people, normalize the desecration of their sanctities, and undermine the two-state solution.”
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, also expressed his denunciation, condemnation and strong rejection of the Knesset’s approval of the draft law that rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Al-Badawi said in a statement on the website of the General Secretariat of the Council that Israel’s decision “is a clear violation of international and UN resolutions related to the Palestinian issue, and confirms its desire and determination to continue to fuel tension and threaten security and stability in the region and the world.”
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Council called on the international community to reject and condemn this decision, which he described as “unjust and expresses the intentions of the Israeli occupation forces to expand the circle of conflict and their lack of desire for stability and peace in the region,” stressing the positions of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries towards the Palestinian issue and supporting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Hamas and the PLO
Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein al-Sheikh, condemned the Knesset decision, saying that it “confirms the racism of the occupying state and its disregard for international law and international legitimacy, and its insistence on an approach and policy of perpetuating the occupation forever and the absence of a partner for making peace on the Israeli side and the destruction of all signed agreements.”
The Sheikh called on the countries of the world that are hesitant to recognize the State of Palestine to immediately recognize it and protect the two-state solution.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) described the Knesset decision as “null and void and issued by an occupying party that has no legitimacy on Palestinian land.”
She added in a statement that the decision “is a message of defiance to the international community, and a disregard for the decisions of the United Nations General Assembly that supported granting Palestine full membership in the United Nations, which calls for serious international action to stop these criminal decisions and procedures, and enable our Palestinian people to access all their rights.”
Hamas also condemned, in a separate statement, Ben Gvir’s storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards this morning, considering this step a “provocation and a dangerous escalation” that it said was part of the Israeli government’s efforts to Judaize Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Türkiye and France
Anadolu Agency published a breaking news report about the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s condemnation of the Knesset’s decision and considering it “null and void.”
The agency quoted the Turkish Foreign Ministry as saying: “The Knesset’s adoption of a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state is an indication of Israel’s disregard for international law and agreements, and is null and void.”
The French Foreign Ministry also condemned the Knesset’s decision, stressing that the two-state solution is “the only solution that guarantees a just and sustainable peace for both Israelis and Palestinians and ensures stability in the region.”
“France expresses its dismay at the Knesset’s adoption of a resolution that rejects the prospect of establishing a Palestinian state, as it contradicts the resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council,” it added in a statement.
It also condemned Ben Gvir’s incursions into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, describing them as “irresponsible actions that threaten to exacerbate instability in the region,” according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry published on its account on the X platform.
“France reaffirms the need to implement the two-state solution, living side by side in peace and security. This solution includes the creation of a sovereign, viable and geographically contiguous Palestinian state,” she said.
Last February, the Israeli Knesset approved another draft resolution rejecting any unilateral international recognition of a Palestinian state. The approval came by a majority of 99 votes to nine votes.
Source: AWP
