TEL AVIV – Twenty-one Knesset members cosigned a letter to members of the U.S. Congress on Monday, thanking them for the recent resolution rejecting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, but warning them that the resolution’s endorsement of a two-state solution is “far more dangerous for Israel” than boycott efforts.
Last month the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved House Resolution 246, which rejects anti-Israel boycotts “including efforts to target United States companies that are engaged in commercial activities that are legal under US law, and all efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel.”
Monday’s letter, endorsed by MKs from right-wing parties, was sent to the four co-sponsors of the house resolution — Brad Schneider, Lee Zeldin, Jerry Nadler and Ann Wagner.
“Israel is grateful to all our wonderful friends in Congress who stand with us on so many fronts. However, we would like to express to you our concern regarding the anti-BDS resolution (H. Res. 246),” the letter reads.
“We believe it contains a grave error because it expresses, among other things, support for a so-called ‘Two-State Solution,’ meaning the establishment of a ‘Palestinian state’ in the heart of tiny Israel. … We would like to make our position clear that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be far more dangerous to Israel than BDS.”
The letter, initiated by the Land of Israel Caucus in the Knesset and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, was signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud), Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan (United Right), Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Avi Dichter (Likud) and MK Gideon Sa’ar (Likud) among others.
House Resolution 246, which passed by a vote of 398-17, calls for increased security aid to Israel, but also “urges Israelis and Palestinians to return to direct negotiations as the only way to achieve an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” and reaffirms strong support “for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states — a democratic Jewish State of Israel, and a viable, democratic Palestinian state — living side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition.”
The Israeli lawmakers argued that the call for establishing a Palestinian state is not in line with the view of President Donald Trump, who has often repeated that the conflict can only be resolved through direct negotiations between the two parties.
The letter said that such a Palestinian state was at risk of becoming a “terrorist” and “jihadist” state that “would severely damage the national security of both Israel and the United States.”
Such a state would undoubtedly be a dysfunctional terrorist state, which would distance peace and undermine stability in the Middle East. As politicians, we understand that these resolutions are accompanied by many compromises along the way in order to reach a language agreed upon by a majority. However, the affirmation of support for establishing a Palestinian state is so dangerous that we respectfully request that you take that into consideration, and in the future avoid determining that establishing an additional Arab state on territory that is the Land of Israel is part of the solution to the dispute.
Dagan accused the powerful pro-Israel lobby the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) of pushing a two-state solution.
“Unfortunately, in recent years AIPAC has been independently promoting the two-state solution. AIPAC misleads American officials and presents the two-state solution as an Israeli interest and as the position of the State of Israel, even though the two-state solution is not the position,” he said.
“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 two-state concept 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 added.
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