The Facts

• Israel's Knesset passed a resolution on Thursday rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, with 68 votes in favor and nine against in the 120-seat body. The resolution stated that a Palestinian state posed "an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens."Israel's Knesset passed a resolution on Thursday rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, with 68 votes in favor and nine against in the 120-seat body.

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and right-wing parties sponsored the resolution, which also received support from Benny Gantz’s National Unity party. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party left the plenum to avoid backing the measure.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and right-wing parties sponsored the resolution, which also received support from Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party abstained from the vote.

• The resolution generated international backlash, with one Palestinian Authority (PA) official saying that it "confirms the racism of the occupying state and its disregard for international law and international legitimacy, and its insistence on the approach and policy of perpetuating the occupation forever."The vote, which does not have legal weight, comes ahead of Netanyahu's trip to Washington to speak before Congress. The Biden administration and the Democratic Party have said that they support the creation of a Palestinian state.

• Meanwhile, fighting continued across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, with residents in Rafah reporting that Israeli forces had advanced deeper into the western side of the city, taking position atop a hill in the area.^[1]