An overwhelming majority of the Knesset voted Wednesday against the unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood in affirmation of a government proclamation issued at the start of the week.
“The people of Israel and their elected representatives are united today as never before,” Netanyahu said as he lauded in Hebrew and English the proclamation’s passage with 99 votes out of the 120-member body.
“In a clear message to the international community,” Netanyahu said, “the Knesset voted overwhelming to oppose any attempt to unilaterally impose a Palestinian state on Israel. Such an attempt will only endanger Israel and will prevent the genuine peace that we all seek.
“Peace can only be achieved after we achieve total victory over Hamas and through direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions,” he said.
“I congratulate the members of the Knesset from the coalition and the opposition who voted in favor of my proposal against the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said.
Officials respond to the vote
The vote, which is declaratory and does not have practical implications, took place as the Palestinian Authority has renewed its campaign for unilateral statehood recognition and as the International Court of Justice is debating among other issues, the Palestinian right to self-determination.
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) dismissed the idea that the imposition of unilateral Palestinian statehood was a pending possibility. He also rejected the contention as well as the idea that the vote represented a united Knesset as he accused Netanyahu of holding the vote to distract politicians from the more critical issues at hand.
“We voted for this proclamation because we oppose unilateral steps,” Lapid said, but noted that the vote was superfluous because there was no international attempt to impose a two-state resolution to the conflict on Israel.
“As you and I know, my connections with the American government are better than yours, so I went and checked with them, there is no such thing,” as a threat of unilateral Palestinian statehood.
“You invented it. You invented a threat that doesn’t exist,” charged Lapid.” There is not a single official in the world suggesting unilateral recognition of Palestine. You came up with a spin so they wouldn’t talk about how as the prime minister you are guilty,” Lapid stated.
"All you wanted was for the Knesset not to talk about the fact that you are in charge and that you are to blame [for October 7], and about the conscription law, which is rightly known as the evasion law, and about the budget that you passed," he said.
The vote also resolved a political problem for Netanyahu, Lapid stated.
I am glad that you explained in English, relying on the fact that not everyone here knows English, that you are ready to negotiate with the Palestinians. I think that after the Palestinian Authority did not condemn its massacre on October 7, it is not a good idea for the prime minister of Israel to stand here and say that he is ready to negotiate the establishment of a Palestinian state, but if you feel like turning left, turn left,” Lapid stated.MK Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu), whose party opposes Palestinian statehood also accused Netanyahu of holding the vote as a part of a political ploy to confuse his supporters.“This is a ploy. Netanyahu is opposed to unilateral Palestinian statehood, but simultaneously he has promised the Saudis that within the framework of an agreement with them, he will agree to the creation of a Palestinian state.“We in Yisrael Beytenu oppose Palestinian statehood in any form, two-sided or unilaterally,” said Forer, whose party is in the opposition.To those in the coalition, Forer warned that it would be best to sleep “with your shoes on and your eyes open, so that you don’t wake up one day and find that you are part of a government and a coalition that is establishing a Palestinian state.”Labor’s four Knesset members decided not to participate in the vote. Party chairwoman MK Merav Michaeli explained the decision by claiming that the vote was a “circus.”“There are currently 134 citizens in Hamas captivity in Gaza, 134 for whom Netanyahu is doing everything to ensure that we do not pay attention that he is not bringing them back,” Michaeli said.The nine votes opposing the resolution came from the Knesset’s two Arab parties.MK Waleed Taha (Ra’am) said that Palestinian statehood wasn’t something the government was gifting the Palestinians but rather an essential Israeli interest and a fundamental Palestinian right.Without Palestinian statehood, there would either be a binational or an apartheid state, he said.MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash-Ta’al) called on the international community and Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood.This is a people who have fought for 100 years against “colonialism” and “apartheid” without ever once raising a white flag.The whole world is talking about Palestinian statehood, but this is how Netanyahu is ending his career, by opposing it, Odeh said.During the plenum debate, shouting ensued, with Ta’al member Ahmed Tibi saying, “A Palestinian state will be established Ras Ben Amo [Arabic slang for in ‘spite of his opposition’].” In response, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, “Go to Syria. Terrorist.”Eliav Breuer contributed to the report.