Israel's parliament, the Knesset, on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to reject the establishment of a Palestinian state, reflecting the deepening decline in support for a two-state solution among wider Israeli society.
Of the 120-member legislative body, 68 voted in support of the resolution, which says a Palestinian state would "pose an existential danger to the State of Israel." Nine members opposed it, while others abstained.
The vote came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to travel to the United States to address a joint session of Congress and meet with President Joe Biden, who has been vocal in pushing for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It is unclear whether Biden's recent Covid-19 diagnosis will affect plans for the meeting. But the outcome of Thursday's vote is likely to deepen concerns among Democrats expected to attend Netanyahu's speech to Congress next Wednesday, said Bilal Y. Saab, a former U.S. Defense Department official and head of the U.S.-Middle East practice of Trends Research and Advisory, a think tank based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, as the Biden administration looks to propel efforts to negotiate a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site Thursday to pray for the return of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a move that threatened to raise tensions in the region.
The visit drew a swift response from Hamas, which said it condemned the move as a "dangerous provocation and escalation."
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