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Biden facing outrage from his own party over handling of Israel-Hamas war
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JERUSALEM—A who’s who of Israel’s defense, security and diplomatic establishment sent a pressing letter to President Biden, urging him not to recognize a Palestinian state because it threatens the existence of the Jewish state and rewards regimes like the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia that sponsor terrorism and promote jingoism.
The Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) letter, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, dated Feb. 19, states “The recognition of a Palestinian state in the immediate aftermath of the October 7th massacre will be interpreted by Hamas, global terrorist organizations, Iran and other rogue states as a reward for violence, and will encourage them to view terrorism as an effective mechanism to achieve political goals.”
Hamas massacred 1,200 people on Oct. 7 in southern Israel, including over 30 Americans. The U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas currently holds over 100 people hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Brigadier General (Res.) Amir Avivi, founder and chairman of the IDSF, told Fox News Digital, “Now is the time for the U.S. to support its most important ally in the Middle East and promote U.S. interests in the region. Israel is not against a peaceful solution to the conflict, but the administration’s plan would be a reward to extremist terror organizations and would embolden the Iranian-Russian axis of violence in the region and the world.”
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Avivi added “The implementation of such a plan would pose an existential threat to Israeli security and is not viable. A better approach would be to focus U.S. diplomatic efforts on forging an alliance with Saudi Arabia and additional positive forces in the region to promote stability, prosperity and peace in the region.”
Israel’s Knesset (parliament) on Wednesday, in a rare show of near unanimity, rejected foreign dictates to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. Israel’s government policy over the last 15 years has been a bi-lateral negotiation with the Palestinians to secure an agreement for a two-state solution.
Fox News Digital sent press queries to the White House and the National Security Council.
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The Israel Defense and Security Forum’s letter addresses concerns over the safety of Israel if President Biden recognizes a Palestinian state. (Adobe Stock)
The IDSF describes its organization as a “20,000 member-strong Israeli grassroots movement led by retired and reserve senior military, intelligence and security officers.”
Some of the signatories to the letter are international recognized Iran expert, Brigadier General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, and former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Danny Ayalon.
The letter to President Biden states, “While we appreciate that your motivations are focused on achieving a lasting peace, IDSF believes that this approach will unfortunately achieve exactly the opposite.”
Israelis have long complained that their efforts to secure peace with the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank (known in Israel by its biblical names Judea and Samaria) have been met with terrorism and missiles launched into the Jewish state.
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President Biden faces criticism for not dealing with Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank. (Getty Images)
“Israel has followed this reckless dynamic in the past, by agreeing to the Oslo Accords following the First Intifada and carrying out the Disengagement from Gaza following the Second Intifada. We learned how the appetite only grows with concessions, and how this threatens Israel and the rest of the free world,” the Israelis wrote.
The military and security experts see no evidence that the Palestinian Authority (PA), which rules over the West Bank, is engaged in reforms. The IDSF said the PA has continued its “Pay to Slay” policy, that has seen $370 million annually given to convicted terrorists and their families in the form of a stipend.
The IDSF said the PA ignores the U.S. Taylor Force Act via its continued support for violence against Israelis. Congress passed the Taylor Force Act, named after West Point graduate Taylor Force, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A Palestinian terrorist stabbed Force in 2016. The act aims to stop economic aid to the PA until it ends its monetary subsidy system to Palestinians convicted of terrorism and their family members.
Biden has faced criticism for ignoring Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank and singling out Israeli residents in the region for sanctions.
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Terrorists from Hamas, during an anti-Israel military march in Gaza City. (Yousef Masoud/Majority World/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The IDSF claimed the PA refused to condemn the Oct. 7 mass murder and that the PA will pay $2.7 million monthly to the terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 attack.
A Fox News Digital press query sent to the assistant for Nabil Abu Rudeineh, who serves as the spokesperson for PA President Mahmoud Abbas, was not immediately returned.
The PA has showed no appetite to rope in terrorism in the West Bank or classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, according to the IDSF.
“Since October 7th the IDF has arrested more than 3,000 terrorists, and has uncovered immense military infrastructure in areas controlled by the P.A. whose purpose was to attack Israel. The P.A. allowed this to happen under its watch,” the letter stated.
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In January, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told Fox News Digital, “I do not think a two-state solution is possible, and, even if possible, it is not advisable. For more than 50 years, hundreds of self-proclaimed ‘peacemakers,’ led by the United States, have attempted to coerce Israel and the Palestinians into a two-state solution.”
Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal.