US President Joe may view himself as a "promoter of a viable two-state solution." But Israel’s political parties are unenthusiastic about this outcome and its viability, an Israeli NGO has found. The veteran Israeli peace-for-peace NGO, Mattot Arim, contacted all political parties this week, both Jewish and Arab, to determine which parties are for and against the 2-state outcome. Mattot Arim found that six parties opposed the 2-state outcome, while all other parties declined to respond or refused to take a position. Not a single Israeli party, Jewish or Arab, was willing to openly respond that their position favors the 2-state outcome. The parties' responses to the Mattot Arim probe were as follows: Likud: Against. New Hope (Gidon Saar): "Obviously we are against," "Our platform explicitly states: against foreign sovereignty west of Jordan." New Economic Party (Yaron Zelicha): "We will not allow a Palestinian state, which is militarized." Yamina (MK Naftali Bennett): "Of course against." Religious Zionism: "Obviously against." Yisrael Beytenu (MK Avigdor Liberman): Party spokesperson read the message but elected not to respond. Blue and White (Defense Minister Benny Gantz): Party spokeswoman referred the question to the faction spokesman. Faction spokesperson did not respond. Labor: Spokesperson said a response would be provided the following day. No response was provided the following day. Meretz (ultra-left party): Preferred not to respond at all. Joint Arab List: Spokesman promised an answer by the end of the evening and then did not respond. Ra'am (United Arab List, splitoff from the Joint Arab List): Did not respond. In Israel's haredi sector, which attracts votes from the general population as well, Mattot Arim found a significant difference between the two main parties: Shas: "Unequivocally against." United Torah Judaism: "Torah Judaism traditionally has no opinion on foreign and security issues. When it is practical, we will present the questions to the Council of Torah Scholars. We support Netanyahu's positions." The question presented to the parties was this: "In recent days, both in the White House and in the State Department, policy documents have been generated which favor establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. If indeed the Palestinian 'Authority' is converted into an actual 'state,' as Biden proposes, it will then be entitled under international law - like any other state - to fully arm itself. Is your party and its leader for or against an armed foreign entity in Judea and Samaria?" Mattot Arim commented as follows: "Rand Corporation researchers recently found, to their surprise, that the Israeli left, not just the Israeli right, regards it as dangerous to convert the Palestinian 'Authority' into an actual state. The Israeli political parties' responses to our probe reflect this. US President Biden should take note." "Under international law, the 'state' label gives you the right to be completely, fully and irreversibly militarized and armed. It is clear that a Palestinian "state" will become Iran 2 within a short time. This will threaten almost all of Israel’s big cities, from right up close. The State of Israel will no longer be viable, the situation will be irreversible, and this will all be Biden’s fault. "In a word: Biden, exercise restraint and wisdom about the 2-state 'solution' - don’t go there." Mattot Arim is an Israeli NGO which has been promoting peace-for-peace since 1992. More than 75,000 voters residing in Israel’s Central Region were exposed, this past week, to a new Mattot Arim mini-video on "What will happen on the day Biden establishes a Palestinian state."
