Nearly two-dozen right-wing members of the Knesset are urging the U.S. Congress to reconsider their position on Palestinian statehood, arguing that a two-state solution is “far more dangerous” than the BDS movement.
“The establishment of an additional Arab (so-called Palestinian) state in the region would severely damage the national security of both Israel and the United States,” the letter reads. “Such a state would, undoubtedly be a dysfunctional terrorist state, which would distance peace and undermine stability in the Middle East.”
The letter, which was coordinated by the Knesset’s Land of Israel Caucus, Samaria Regional Council and the National Conference of the Likud, was signed by 21 Knesset members, including senior Likud Party members and such MKs as Tzipi Hotovely, Avi Dichter, Gideon Sa’ar and Yoav Kisch. It was also supported by some members of the United Right and Shas parties.
The letter takes aim at the recent anti-BDS resolution overwhelmingly passed by Congress. While that legislation took a strong stance against the BDS movement, it also included language reaffirming America’s commitment to a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, said a two-state solution “is not the policy of the current government coalition, nor is it stated as policy in the agreements between the coalition partners. Furthermore, this is not the policy of the Trump administration, which has even removed it from the National Security Strategic Report.”
Dagan also blamed AIPAC for advancing the two-state solution in Congress, saying “AIPAC portrays the two-state concept as an Israeli interest to elected officials in America and as the official position of the Israeli Government, even though this is untrue.”
The letter comes as 72 members of Congress visited Israel this week as part of a delegation organized by the American Israeli Education Foundation (AIEF), a division AIPAC.
The delegations have been touring Israel’s borders and gaining insight into Israeli advances in areas of defense, agriculture, commercial technology, and water desalination and conservation. In addition, the groups met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.