Dim Amor

The decisions by Australia, Britain and Canada to recognize a Palestinian state are met with resolute opposition from across Israel's political spectrum. Leaders from the right and left harshly condemn the international steps and emphasize Israel's independent strength.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded forcefully to the countries' decisions and declared that "the days when Britain and other countries will determine our future are over, the mandate is finished and the only answer to the anti-Israeli step is sovereignty over the parts of the Jewish people's homeland in Judea and Samaria and removing the folly of the Palestinian state idea from the agenda forever". Smotrich addressed the Prime Minister saying: "Mr. Prime Minister, this is the time and it is in your hands".

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also joined the chorus of condemnations and called Britain's decision to recognize a Palestinian state "cynical, harmful and devoid of content". Bennett firmly rejected the claim that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip were what caused additional countries to make a similar decision.

No less sharp a response came from the political left. Knesset member Merav Michaeli, former chairwoman of the Labor Party, posted on social network X: "Beyond everything else, the sequence of recognitions of a Palestinian state takes all attention away from the hostages. All these heads of state who recognize a Palestinian state know this won't establish a Palestinian state. This is simply their only way to make an emergency call – enough of this damned war, enough of the unilateral messianic behavior, enough of turning potential for peace and prosperity into death and destruction, instability and insecurity".

Michaeli continued and claimed this is "the polite way of heads of state who do behave according to what is acceptable, to say – Israel is being run by failed criminals who act according to short-term political whims that are destructive to the future of the state and region".

Chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Avigdor Lieberman, joined the condemnations and called the decisions "hypocrisy incarnate and a prize for terrorism". Lieberman attributed the decisions to "another terrible failure of the October 7th government."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a clear message toward the leaders of countries recognizing a Palestinian state: "I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the terrible massacre on October 7th: you are giving a huge prize to terrorism".

The Israeli criticism reflects a broad position cutting across political lines and illustrates the perception that Israel is strong enough to stand against international pressure. This approach is based on the understanding that since the establishment of the state in 1948, Israel has committed to defending world Jewry and Judaism, unlike the situation that existed in the 1940s.

Current events raise fundamental questions about the ability of foreign countries to influence Israeli policy and about Israeli independence facing an international community trying to dictate its path. Israeli leaders emphasize that the state can survive and exist even without British or Australian support, and that it does not need participation in international organizations like FIFA, the Olympics or Eurovision to preserve its independence and defend its borders.

The Israeli government emphasizes its commitment to caring for world Jewry and Israeli citizens, and sees the decisions recognizing a Palestinian state as a step that rewards terrorism and harms possibilities for achieving real peace. This broad consensus from right and left constitutes a rare phenomenon in Israel's fractured political map and reflects the severity of the situation as perceived by the political establishment.

The sharp criticism from all parts of the political spectrum emphasizes the feeling that Western countries practice a double standard toward Israel and try to weaken it precisely when it is fighting for its security after the October 7th massacre. Israeli leaders see this as an attempt to return Israel to a state of weakness and dependency – a state that existed before the establishment of the state and enabled mass exterminations of Jews.

Photos of Merav Michaeli and Naftali Bennett from the Knesset website; photos of Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman from X network, as well as Netanyahu video from the same network – use according to section 27a of copyright law