MK’s Simcha Rothman and Yuli Edelstein attend a Special Session in Honor of President Santiago Peña of Paraguay at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, Dec. 11, 2024. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
Dozens of Knesset members, primarily from the right-wing coalition, have voiced support for an initiative headed by the Land of Israel Caucus to apply a Basic Law to the territories of Judea and Samaria that would require a public referendum before ceding any Israeli-controlled territory in a peace deal.
The bill, which was submitted to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee by coalition members, also enjoys support from the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu opposition party, led by Avigdor Liberman.
The bill, which is called the “Israel Security Law,” seeks to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state through the transfer of territories, whether in an agreement like Oslo or a unilateral withdrawal, as in the Gaza disengagement in 2005.
It comes as an amendment to the Basic Law: Referendum, passed in 2014, which requires that any plan to give up land in Israel, East Jerusalem, or the Golan Heights, must be put to a public referendum. However, the 2014 law did not cover Judea and Samaria.
Part of the impetus for the bill may come from attempts by the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration to secure a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi government has recently re-emphasized its demand that any normalization agreement include concrete steps toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, headed by Knesset Member Simcha Rothman, is expected to begin deliberations on the bill soon. Once the committee finishes those discussions, with any possible amendments, the bill will move to the Knesset plenum for first, second and third readings.
The Land of Israel Caucus heads, MKs Rothman, Yuli Edelstein and Limor Son Har-Melech, released a statement saying, “This is the time for action, and the Land of Israel Caucus is taking proactive steps that will shape future political arrangements. There is a broad consensus in Israeli society and in the Knesset that a Palestinian state must not be established.”
The bill was signed by 26 Knesset members from right-wing parties, including Likud, Religious Zionism, Jewish Power, United Torah Judaism, Shas, New Hope (the state right-wing parties), and opposition party Yisrael Beytenu.
According to the proposed bill, any agreement including the handover of Israeli-controlled territories or the establishment of a Palestinian state would require either an absolute majority of 61 Knesset members and a public referendum, or a super-majority of 80 Knesset members. The initiative comes after a recent Knesset declaration against the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Omer Rahamim, head of the Yesha Council [a group of leaders of Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria], praised the initiative.
“Opposition to a Palestinian state must be expressed through practical steps, not just declarations,” Rahamim said.
“The Palestinian Authority generates terror, and a Palestinian state, if it were to arise, God forbid, would be a terrorist state in the heart of the country, 100 meters from Kfar Saba.”
“This bill will block worrying paths to a Palestinian terrorist state and lay the foundation for the much-needed shift in approach towards cutting off Iran’s tentacles even in Judea and Samaria,” Rahamim said.
“We congratulate the Knesset members for initiating this process and call for swift action to pass the legislation in three readings,” he added.
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