Israel's parliament has passed a resolution overwhelmingly rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, Israeli media reported.
The resolution was passed in the Knesset with 68 votes in favor and only nine against early Thursday.
He said a Palestinian state would represent “an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition with far-right parties co-sponsored the resolution. Opposition leader Yair Lapid's center-left party walked out of the session to avoid supporting the declaration, despite previously saying it was in favor of a two-state solution, the Times of Israel reported.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative, criticized the adoption of the resolution.
“No Zionist party, whether in the government or the opposition, voted against the resolution,” he wrote in X.
“This resolution represents a rejection of peace with the Palestinians and an official declaration of the death of [the] “Oslo Agreement,” Barghouti posted.
The Israeli Knesset voted by an absolute majority against the creation of a Palestinian state. No Zionist party, either in the government or the opposition, voted against the resolution.
This resolution represents a rejection of peace with the Palestinians and an official declaration…— Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghout1) July 18, 2024
The Oslo Accords, first signed between Palestinian and Israeli leaders in 1993, called for a viable, sovereign Palestinian state coexisting with an Israeli state.
But Israel has continued to pursue policies such as building illegal settlements on Palestinian land across the occupied West Bank and imposing a complete blockade of Gaza.
Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the resolution on social media, saying the Knesset’s rejection “confirms the occupying state’s racism and its disregard for international law and international legitimacy, and its insistence on the approach and policy of perpetuating the occupation forever.”
Jordan's Foreign Ministry said the adoption of the resolution was a “dangerous” violation of international law.
“Israel’s continued efforts to deny the Palestinians their inalienable right to an independent and sovereign state as established on June 4, 1967, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital, do not bring security or peace to the region,” the statement said, citing ministry spokesman Sufyan al-Qudah.
The Times of Israel quoted the resolution as saying: “It will be only a matter of time before Hamas takes control of the Palestinian state and turns it into a radical Islamic terror base, working in coordination with the Iranian-led axis to eliminate the State of Israel.”
He added that a Palestinian state at this time would be a “reward for terrorism and will only encourage Hamas and its supporters to see this as a victory,” referring to the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 in southern Israel that sparked the current conflict.
However, the decision is not new for the Knesset, which has previously rejected the creation of a Palestinian state.
A growing number of countries have recognised the Palestinian state, including Spain, Slovenia, Norway, Ireland and others.
The resolution comes as Netanyahu is expected to address the US Congress next week in Washington, DC, causing divisions among Democratic Party lawmakers who have spoken out against Israel's conduct in its war on Gaza.
On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Israel's policy in the occupied West Bank was dooming any prospect of a two-state solution.
Through administrative and legal measures, Israel is changing the geography of the West Bank, Guterres said in a statement read by his chief of staff, Courtenay Rattray, during a meeting of the UN Security Council.
“Recent events are putting a spanner in the works of any prospects for a two-state solution,” he said. “We must change course. All settlement activity must cease immediately.”
The UN chief added that the settlements were a flagrant violation of international law and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.
