Knesset statement opposing the creation of a Palestinian state: A critique

The war in Gaza has reignited international calls for a two-state solution (2SS). In response, overwhelming support in the Knesset, 68 to 9, declared its opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state. Among the signatories were politicians from the coalition and three opposition parties.

Here are the main arguments expressed by the declaration[1] which without having the force of law comforts the anti-Palestinians in Israel.

“The Knesset strongly opposes the creation of a Palestinian state west of Jordan. The creation 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.”

If one considers that the heart of the land of Israel is the West Bank and East Jerusalem, then Israel is the only state in the world that believes it. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) considers in its advisory and non-binding opinion that the occupation of the Palestinian territories (OPT) of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Israel is “unlawful” and that it should end “as quickly as possible”. The ICJ accuses Israel of imposing a regime of “systemic discrimination“ based on race, religion or ethnic origin, of carrying out “annexation“ by imposing permanent control over the OPT and of depriving the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination, and it concludes that the State of Israel has an “obligation to repair the harm“ caused to the Palestinians in the OPT through restitution or compensation[2]. As for Gaza, it establishes that Palestinians had a “plausible right to be protected from genocide“[3].

As to the International Criminal Court (ICC), it is seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, as well as three Hamas leaders, for war crimes and crimes against humanity[4].Should the warrants be granted by the court’s judges, the defendants can be arrested.

The serious accusations from these two international courts contribute to delegitimizing the defendants and Israel’s policy of occupation and annexation.

It has been several decades since the Palestinian Authority (PA) officially agreed to oppose terrorism, and recognize the State of Israel and the principle of a demilitarized Palestinian state. By publicly supporting the 2SS, the PA officially opposes the perpetuation of the conflict and the destabilization of the region. The PA is indeed set against Hamas and violence against Israel. Several attempts to create Palestinian unity between the PA and Hamas failed miserably because the latter was unwilling to surrender its weapons, join the PA security forces and accept recognition of Israel. The financial strangulation of the PA by Israel due to the freezing of financial transfers since the October 7 attack risks the collapse of the PA and chaos in the West Bank which can only serve the two extremes, namely, the Zionist and messianic extremists and the Palestinian jihadists supported by Iran.

Unfortunately, not all of the PA’s actions are conducive to peace and stability and they should be corrected for the PA to become credible in the eyes of Israel and the US. For example, the PA indirectly promotes terrorism through its “Pay to Slay” policy which offers stipends to any Palestinian (and their family) arrested by Israel for terrorist acts. Despite some improvements, Palestinian school textbooks still contain anti-Israeli rhetoric delegitimizing the existence of the Jewish state and harming the establishment of trust between Palestinians and Israelis[5]. Conversely, Israeli school textbooks do not always indicate the international border between Israel and the OPT as if these territories were an integral part of Israel.

The PA is not an ally of Iran at all, it is quite the opposite. Following Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s praise of the October 7 attack, the PA accused[6] Iran of exploiting the Palestinian issue and sacrificing the lives of Palestinian civilians who are paying the price for a war without meeting their aspirations. The PA also accuses Iran of seeking to overthrow it by arming and organizing Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

PA’s opposition to Iran and its security cooperation with Israel actually contributes to Israel’s security and to regional stability.

Rather, it is illegal Israeli actions in the OPT that contribute to destabilizing the region, such as the construction and expansion of settlements, the transfer of Israeli settlers to the OPT, the confiscation of land, the use of Palestinian resources to the benefit of settlers, home demolition, forced displacement and settler violence against Palestinian civilians According to the ICJ, Israel’s policies and practices in these territories do not comply with international law.

In turn, the occupation policy is unable to prevent the killing of many Israelis by Palestinian terrorists.

It is the failure to achieve a 2SS that poses an existential threat to Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state. The alternative is the status quo where Palestinians in the OPT do not have the same rights. If Palestinians were offered the same rights as Israelis and in the event of a de jure partial annexation of the West Bank, this would add approximately 350,000 Palestinians to the Israeli population who would be entitled to Israeli citizenship. This addition would increase the share of the Arab minority in Israel from 21.1 percent to 24.6 percent and would surely increase internal tensions between Jews and Arabs and instability in the region. The annexation of East Jerusalem in 1980 was not exemplary from a democratic point of view given that citizenship was granted to only 15 percent of local Palestinians not to mention the constant obstacles faced by Palestinian residents in their everyday life.

In 2014, the Obama administration tasked retired U.S. general and former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, John Allen, with creating a security plan to accompany a possible Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. The Allen Plan is the most detailed plan ever written on the security arrangements associated with the creation of a Palestinian state. The plan received praise from top Israeli defense officials at the time. Retired Maj. Gen. Gadni Shamni[7], former head of the IDF Central Command, said that with a few notable exceptions, “90 to 95 percent of senior security officials” supported the Allen plan. The project was rejected by Israel.

“It will only be a matter of time before Hamas takes control of the Palestinian state and transforms it into a base for radical Islamic terrorism, working in coordination with the Iranian-led axis to eliminate the State of Israel”

There is a consensus in Israel that one of the fundamental goals of the war in Gaza is to dismantle Hamas as a political and military force. If Israel succeeds, Hamas and PIJ would no longer pose a threat to Israel’s security and be able to help Iran annihilate Israel.

However, after months of brutal war against Hamas and PIJ, Israel seems incapable of defeating them, militarily and politically. Faced with enormous pressure, Hamas now says it is ready to abandon civilian governance in Gaza, without however agreeing to dismantle its military wing, even if it is militarily weakened. A new governance excluding Hamas would allow a security force loyal to the PA to assert control over Gaza, a scenario that seems acceptable to Israel. For Israel, it is unthinkable that Hamas could play a role in the post-war Gaza Strip, even indirectly, unless, in my opinion, it officially disavows its ideology of destruction and non-recognition of the State of Israel.

“Promoting the idea of a Palestinian state at this time would be a reward for terrorism and would only encourage Hamas and its supporters to see this as a victory, thanks to the pogrom of October 7, 2023, and a prelude to the takeover of jihadist Islam in the Middle East”

The Hamas charters of 1988 and 2007 support the eradication of Israel as a Jewish state. If a 2SS becomes a reality, it would clearly be a defeat and not a victory for Hamas. The latter cannot survive politically and militarily if it accepts such a vision unless it transforms itself by rejecting terrorism and the destruction of Israel and recognizing the State of Israel.

A second article will follow in the coming days about a critique of right-wing Zionists’ key arguments against the creation of a Palestinian state.

—

[1] https://fr.timesofisrael.com/la-knesset-vote-massivement-contre-la-creation-dun-etat-palestinien/

[2] https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-adv-01-00-frc.pdf

[3] https://fr.timesofisrael.com/dans-le-dossier-pour-genocide-contre-israel-a-la-cpi-la-plausibilite-netait-pas-ce-quelle-semblait-etre/

[4] https://www.icc-cpi.int/fr/news/declaration-du-procureur-de-la-cpi-karim-aa-khan-kc-depot-de-requetes-aux-fins-de-delivrance

[5] https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/unrwa_independent_review_on_neutrality.pdf

[6] https://www.memri.org/reports/palestinian-authority-attacks-iranian-leader-ali-khamenei-his-speech-proves-iran-behind

[7] https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Israeli-PA-security-officials-agreed-on-key-issues-former-US-peace-envoy-says-499014