Israel’s Knesset rejects unilateral recognition of Palestinian state

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli Knesset (parliament) voted Wednesday in support of a government decision to reject unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.

The Israeli government on Sunday approved a declaration rejecting any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.

And on Wednesday, 99 members of the 120-seat Knesset voted in support of the government decision against 9 votes.

"I don't remember many votes in which the Knesset voted with a majority of 99 out of 120," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the vote.

He argued that Wednesday’s vote “sends a clear message to the international community.''

''The Knesset united against the attempt to dictate to us the establishment of a Palestinian state, a dictate which would not only bring peace but would endanger the State of Israel,'' he added.

Last week, the Washington Post newspaper said the US and Arab countries are finalizing a long-term peace plan between Israel and Palestinians that includes a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming all of Jerusalem as its “eternal and undivided” capital in a move never recognized by the international community.

The Palestinians, for their part, hope to establish an independent state of their own in the Gaza Strip and West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The ensuing Israeli attacks have killed more than 29,300 Palestinians and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while less than 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio