Palestinian Embassy condemns Israeli rejection of statehood

The Embassy of Palestine in Cyprus denounced on Thursday the Israeli parliament’s rejection of a Palestinian state, calling the move a rebuff to the international community.

“The insistence of the Israeli government in continuing to dispute the international community and its resolutions regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state, must stop,” the embassy said in a statement.

It noted that the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders is key to a two-state solution in the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The embassy also called on the international community as well as on the government of Cyprus to condemn the Israeli parliament’s resolution.

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli parliament voted by 68 to 9 to reject any creation of a Palestinian state.

“The Knesset of Israel firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan (river). The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel would pose an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilise the region,” the declaration read.

The Knesset declaration is not legally binding.

While international leaders have condemned the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, some countries have also made major foreign policy shifts in recent months to recognise a Palestinian state.

Making such an announcement in May, in a co-ordinated move with Spain and Ireland, Norway’s foreign minister framed the move in part as a response to Israeli intransigence on peace talks.