Israeli lawmakers vote overwhelmingly against Palestinian statehood, challenging US policy

The Biden administration received another rebuff from Israel Wednesday night – this time from the country’s parliament – over the United States’ long-standing support for the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.

A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been US policy for decades, but absent negotiations between the two sides, and a lack of sustained effort by the US to make it happen, means faith in such an outcome has dwindled. On Wednesday evening, the Israeli parliament made clear its position, voting by 68 to 9 to reject any creation of a Palestinian state.

“The Knesset of Israel firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan (river). The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel would pose an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region,” the declaration read.

Among those who backed it was Benny Gantz, an opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gantz’s vote serves as a blow to those in Washington who see him as someone more inclined to seek a negotiated peace with Palestinians if he ever became Israel’s leader.

Instead, the resolution was “a signal to the international community that pressure to impose a Palestinian state on Israel is futile,” leader of the right-wing opposition ‘New Hope’ party, Gideon Saar, said, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

The Palestinian Authority foreign ministry condemned the Knesset vote, saying it was time “the international consensus on the two-state solution (was) translated into practical steps to resolve the conflict … before it is too late.”

The Biden administration, while standing strong in its support for Israel and Netanyahu throughout the war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, has tried to stick to its long-held line that a two-state solution is in the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea. A day after speaking with Biden in a phone conversation in January, the Israeli leader posted on X, “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of Jordan. And this is contrary to (the creation of) a Palestinian state.”

Audience members hold Palestinian flags in the crowd during the final dress rehearsal before the 68th edition Eurovision Song Contest final at Malmo Arena, in Malmo, Sweden May 11, 2024.

The Knesset declaration – which follows a similar vote in February opposing international recognition of a Palestinian state – is not legally binding, but pollster and analyst Dahlia Scheindlin says its symbolic importance should not be dismissed.

“It is Israel trying to create a fact on the ground – which does not exist – that Israel has the power to determine whether Palestinians exist, or exist as a state,” she says, referring also to remarks from finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, last year that there’s “no such thing as a Palestinian people.”

“We need to stop accepting the Israeli rhetoric that there is such a thing as unilateral Palestinian statehood. What we have is multilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood and unilateral Israeli rejection,” Scheindlin says.

While international leaders have repeatedly condemned the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and saw 250 more taken hostage, some countries have also made significant foreign policy shifts in recent months to recognize a Palestinian state.

Making such an announcement in May, in a coordinated move with Spain and Ireland, Norway’s foreign minister framed the move in part as a response to Israeli intransigence on peace talks.

“It is regrettable that the Israeli government shows no signs of engaging constructively,” Espen Barth Eide said.