The Republican National Committee last week passed a resolution supporting "a united Israel governed under one law for all people,” interpreted by many as rejecting a Palestinian Authority state.
“Members of this body support Israel in their natural and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon their own lands, recognizing that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others; and that peace can be afforded the region only through a united Israel governed under one law for all people,” the resolution stated.
The statements reflect strong endorsements of Israel by several Republican party presidential hopefuls, particularly Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.
National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer quickly issued a statement that “the only thing that matters is what’s in our platform,” which will be composed at the national convention this summer. He emphasized that the resolution is non-binding.
However, the declaration, non-binding or not, reflects a growing sentiment in the Republican party, if not among some Democrats, that the Palestinian Authority’s insistence that Israel accept all of its demands without compromise precludes its being trusted to establish another Arab state in the Middle East without creating a threat to Israel’s existence.
The National Committee resolution also called on state legislatures to declare Israel's right to sovereignty over its land. Last year, South Carolina was the first state to declare that all of the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish state.