The Federal Ministry: Israel isolates itself
The German government is deeply concerned about the Israeli parliament's rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"The resolution contradicts several resolutions of the UN Security Council. Israel is thus distancing itself from the overwhelming majority of the international community and isolating itself", said a spokesperson of the Foreign Office in Berlin on Friday. He warned: "We all know, isolation is the enemy of any security."
Even if the resolution is not binding, "it is still a setback in our efforts to reconcile Israel's legitimate security interests with the rights of Palestinian women and men to self-determination", he said. For the German government, it is clear that there is no alternative to the Two-State Solution, which can also ensure the security of Israel in the long term. He emphasized: "Just as Israelis have a right to a life in security and dignity, Palestinian women and men have the right to determine their own affairs in their own state."
A majority of Knesset members had voted for a resolution the previous day rejecting statehood. Among them, according to reports, were the parties of the right-religious coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the opposition party of Benny Gantz, who, according to polls, would be the strongest party in upcoming elections and would receive the most seats in the parliament. Gantz was until recently a member of the now dissolved war cabinet.
"The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel would represent an existential threat to the State of Israel and its citizens", it said in the resolution. "It is only a matter of short time before Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a radical Islamic terrorist base." This would work towards destroying the State of Israel.
After expressing concern over the Knesset's decision, the German Foreign Office stressed, "Regardless of the resolution's non-binding nature, it sets back our efforts towards reconciling Israel's security with Palestinian self-determination, as the Two-State Solution remains our primary goal. This solution ensures both Israel's security and the right of Palestinian women and men to determine their own affairs in their own state."
Following the rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, the spokesperson from Israel's Foreign Office acknowledged, "Even after the Knesset decision, we in the Foreign Office in Berlin continue to advocate for peaceful coexistence, understanding that isolation is detrimental to any nation's security."
