ZOA Opposed Resolution’s Passage Stating “A Palestinian State is More Dangerous than BDS”

Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein, ZOA Chairman Mark Levenson, Esq. released the following statement:
 
Twenty-one members of Israel’s Knesset (parliament), including Israeli government ministers, wrote a letter to the U.S. Congress, confirming the Israeli government’s and Israeli public’s strong objections to and grave concerns with dangerous language supporting a Palestinian State, unfortunately inserted into recently-passed “anti-BDS” House Resolution 246.  The resolution was entitled ““Opposing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel,” and should have solely dealt with opposing BDS.  However, extremely objectionable language inserted into the resolution promoted a so-called “2-state solution” – an Orwellian term for creating a terrorist “Palestinian” Arab state on tiny Israel’s land.  
 
Among other things, the Knesset members (MKs)’ letter explained that: 
 
“We would like to make our position clear that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be far more dangerous to Israel than BDS.  Pressure to establish a Palestinian state contradicts President Trump’s position . . . It also opposes the position of the Government of Israel and also opposes the position of the majority of the public in Israel.  . . . . this demand is both unjust, and also severely jeopardizes the security of the State of Israel.  . . . 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.  Such a state would undoubtedly be a dysfunctional terrorist state, which would distance peace and undermine stability in the Middle East. . . . [T]he 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.”  
 
ZOA previously raised the same concerns about the insertion of Palestinian state language into the toothless anti-BDS resolution.  Back in March, when ZOA learned that AIPAC had arranged for its policy conference attendees to lobby for passage of H. Res. 246, ZOA urged AIPAC to either remove the Palestinian state language or stop lobbying for a resolution with such harmful, dangerous language. Because a Palestinian Arab State is more dangerous than BDS. AIPAC conference attendees whom we spoke with thought that they were solely lobbying for an anti-BDS resolution, and were unaware of the Palestinian-state insertion. (See “ZOA Urges AIPAC: Don’t Lobby for House “BDS” Resolution that Includes Call for Creating a Palestinian “Terror” State,” March 25, 2019.)   
 
ZOA again pointed out the dangers of this “Palestinian” state insertion shortly prior to the passage of H. Res. 246. Unfortunately and wrongly, AIPAC emailed its members to again lobby for the resolution’s passage.  (See “ZOA: Congress’s Anti-BDS Resolutions – Some Good Points But Toothless and Poisoned by Promoting Dangerous Palestinian State,” July 22, 2019.)   
 
Similar to the Knesset members, ZOA noted that a Palestinian-Arab state would be an Iranian-backed Hamas terror state, which would be far more dangerous than even BDS is.  Also similar to the Knesset members, ZOA explained that PM Netanyahu, the Israeli government and Israeli people overwhelmingly oppose a Palestinian Arab state – and that the Republican platform also opposes such a terror state.  
 
ZOA also agrees with the Knesset members’ request that Congress should avoid the dangerous promotion of a Palestinian Arab state language in the future. Specifically, the Senate should delete this language from S. Res. 120, the companion anti-BDS resolution to H. Res. 246. ZOA has already spoken to a number of Senators who told us they will not vote for any Resolution that promotes a Palestinian State. 
 
The Israeli leader Yossi Dagan, forcefully explained that AIPAC’s promotion of a Palestinian state is contrary to Israel’s interests.  Dagan stated: 
 
"Unfortunately, in recent years AIPAC has been promoting the two-state solution independently.  AIPAC misleads U.S. elected officials and presents the two-state solution as an Israeli interest and position as the State of Israel, even though the two-state solution is not policy of the State of Israel, does not appear on the government's platform, and is not part of the U.S. position, and the U.S. President even removed it from the National Security Strategy Report.''
 
Dagan says the decision against BDS is a Trojan horse: "We have no doubt that it was wrapped nicely and sold to our friends in Congress when, without their knowledge, as they trusted AIPAC and the title of the bill, they personally signed a resolution for a Palestinian state. This is scandalous. It should be made clear to AIPAC that the State of Israel will not continue to fund its operations if it continues to promote the establishment of the Palestinian state under the ruse '"promoting Israeli interests'."
 
(“'AIPAC Lobby Misleads U.S. Elected Officials,” by Nitzan Kedar, Israel National News, Aug. 12, 2019.)
 
ZOA hopes that Israel’s many friends in Congress will understand the dangers of promoting a Palestinian-Arab terror state in any future resolutions or legislation.  ZOA also urges AIPAC to abide by the will of the Israeli people and the Israeli government which AIPAC always claims to follow, which overwhelmingly opposes the creation of a Palestinian-Arab terror state.