Israel Seeks Cross-Party US Backing Against Palestinian Statehood

Israel is urging bipartisan support from the United States to oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state, warning that it would only serve as a reward for Hamas and its supporter Iran.

Several European Union members, including Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and Malta, have expressed their willingness to recognize a Palestinian state this month, seeing a two-state solution as crucial for achieving lasting peace.

During a meeting with top House Republican Elise Stefanik, Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, emphasized that if a Palestinian state were to be formed, Iran would exploit it as a launching pad to “work towards the destruction of Israel.”

Katz urged the U.S. to lead efforts for a resolution at the International Energy Agency’s council next month to implement further sanctions against Iran, aiming to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons and supporting militant groups like Hamas.

Despite Iran’s denial of seeking nuclear weapons, Stefanik has been actively involved in addressing the protests on U.S. college campuses related to Israel’s conflict in Gaza and advocating for the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

The Gaza conflict erupted following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,200 casualties and 253 hostages, according to Israeli reports.

Since then, Gaza’s health ministry has reported at least 35,386 Palestinian fatalities.