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Israeli MKs criticize US anti-BDS resolution, warn 2-state solution ‘far more dangerous’ than boycotts

A group of 21 Knesset members sent a letter to U.S. lawmakers warning that establishing a Palestinian state threatens Israel’s future far more than boycotts.

By World Israel News Staff

On Monday, 21 Knesset members sent a letter to four U.S. lawmakers highlighting the dangers they say a Palestinian state would pose to Israel’s future.

The letter specifically addressed a recent resolution passed in the House of Representatives (House Resolution 246) that both rejected the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, while endorsing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

After thanking their American counterparts for their “continued support of Israel,” the signatories of the letter warned, “[The resolution] 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.”

The letter continued, “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 recipients of the letter were the four co-sponsors of the anti-BDS resolution, Brad Schneider, Lee Zeldin, Jerry Nadler and Ann Wagner, with Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan initiating the letter’s composition.

Among the letter’s signatories were Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan (United Right), Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud), and Likud MKs Gideon Sa’ar, Avi Dichter, Uzi Dayan, and Yoav Kisch, among others.

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In addition to opposing BDS, House Resolution 246 also calls to ramp up security aid to Israel. The resolution passed with an overwhelming majority of yea votes (398-17).

With regard to the resolution’s language calling for a two-state solution, it advocates “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.”

Knesset members who sent the letter on Monday argued that this approach contradicts “the position of the Government of Israel and also opposes the position of the majority of the public in Israel…due to the fact that this demand is both unjust and also severely jeopardizes the security of the State of Israel.”

The letter concluded, “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.”