The Knesset’s Non-Binding Vote on a Palestinian State

If anyone in the Knesset thought that by denying the Palestinians a state would have any influence on the countries of the world, they were grievously mistaken. The question of Palestinian statehood is so mired in the myth of their victim-hood, it is so ensconced in the acceptance of the assumed righteous cause of the underdog, it is so entwined with a rising surge of worldwide antisemitism that few outside of Israel will understand the reasons that Israeli parliamentarians took this non-binding vote.

It is futile to explain for the thousandth time the dangers that such a state would pose to Israel. It is a waste of time to call out the example that Hamas has presented when, time and again, through the months and years prior to 7 October, it intermittently has fired myriad rockets and missiles into southern Israel, keeping the inhabitants of the Gaza Envelope on edge and under a state of constant siege. Pointing to the meager mileage that separates the West Bank Palestinian cities from most of Israel’s major population centers.  The ears of the world community are closed to such arguments, regardless of their accuracy.

It is also futile to ask just what type of governing entity would rule a nascent Palestinian state. The example of the malaise that followed the US’s invasion and destruction of Sadam Hussein’s regime in Iraq does not resonate, pointing to the rise of the global threat that ISIS brought forth. A vote denying the Palestinians a state of their own in order to call out the chaos that might ensue due to the dearth of preparations on the part of the Palestinian Authority to create functioning governmental agencies and structures is only truly understood and appreciated in the chambers and meeting rooms of the Knesset. It does nothing to point to what is now occurring in Gaza as murderous armed gangs and familial vendettas replace the strong hand of a much-weakened Hamas.

The Knesset vote against the establishment of a Palestinian state will do little more than anger the countries whose majority consistently votes against Israel in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Israelis might well ask themselves if they really care. Perhaps further alienating so many others whose fates and futures do not depend upon a people whose leaders have rejected Israeli sovereignty for lo these many decades. Perhaps this was an act meant only for internal, Israeli consumption. Regardless, the reverberations of this resolution will quickly subside only to rise and fall in the future like wind tossed white caps on the turbulent seas of international diplomacy. What becomes of the Palestinian people’s governance ultimately will depend little upon a vote in the Knesset. There are too many other players and parties involved in this issue. So now it is time for the governing body of the state of Israel to return to what will aid in the destruction of Hamas and, perhaps, the defeat of Hezbollah as well, leaving the Palestinians to their own devices.