Twenty-one members of Knesset from right-wing parties sent a letter to members of Congress on Monday thanking them for their recent pro-Israel anti-Boycott Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) resolution but warning them that the resolution's endorsement of a two-state solution is harmful, because the repercussions of a Palestinian state would be "far more dangerous for Israel" than the BDS Movement.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved Resolution 246 opposing boycotts of Israel on July 23. Some 350 legislators, 175 from each party, cosponsored the resolution, which opposes the BDS movement, “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.”In an effort to gain bipartisan support, the bill 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 letter by the MKs is a direct appeal to members of Congress to assess the dangers of a Jihadist Palestinian state formed in the heart of Israel. The MKs argue that while some sectors promote the two-state solution as being pro-Israel, the actual will of the Israeli people and the current policy of the State of Israel does not reflect that attitude.“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 MKs wrote. “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.”The letter was initiated by the Land of Israel Caucus in the Knesset, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan and the Likud’s nationalist group.“Unfortunately, in the last few years, AIPAC is independently advancing the two-state solution,” said Dagan, who is powerful within Likud. “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 said he was very happy that 21 MKs from the coalition signed on to the letter, and that he was sure they would be joined by more MKs.The MKs who signed the letter include Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan (United Right), Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud), Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avi Dichter (Likud) and MK Gideon Sa’ar (Likud).