Netanyahu rejects US proposal for 'a Palestinian state' in post-Gaza war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this Thursday that he expressed to the United States his opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a post-war scenario in Gaza.

(Also: Why did the situation in Gaza go from being catastrophic to being close to collapse, according to the UN?)

As he stressed in a press conference, he is determined to block the establishment of a Palestinian State as part of a scenario for the 'day after' the war in the Strip or his own mandate, something that goes in line with its historical policy on this issue, and also in relation to the end of the conflict in Gaza, where he does not support the idea of ​​giving control to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

“I tell this truth to our American friends and I also stopped the attempt to impose on us a reality that would harm Israel's security,” Netanyahu said, adding that The majority of the Israeli population rejects a possible Palestinian State, an initiative that the Joe Biden Administration supports as part of the so-called two-state solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict..

(We recommend: Kfir Bibas, the youngest Hamas hostage, turns one year old in captivity)

He argued that in any possible agreement with the Palestinians, “Israel has to maintain security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan Valley,” referring to a significant part of the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967.

During his five visits to the region since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated his country's position in favor of the two-state solution, and Washington – like the EU – proposed as a post-war option that the ANP regain control of the Strip, from where she was expelled in 2007 after Hamas seized power by force.

(You can read: Medicines for hostages and humanitarian aid entered Gaza, according to Qatari mediator)

In recent days, statements from Saudi Arabia emerged in which officials from this Gulf monarchy said that the normalization of relations with Israel – something in which both countries were making progress but was stopped by the Gaza war – could only occur with a clear path. for the creation of a Palestinian State, something that is also opposed by the far-right partners of the current Netanyahu Government.

“In every territory from which we withdraw, we receive terrorism, terrible terrorism against us. It happened in southern Lebanon, in the Gaza Strip, and in Judea and Samaria (biblical name for the West Bank),” said the prime minister.

He insisted that The offensive on Gaza will continue, and he said that a ceasefire without ending Hamas would only harm Israel..

(Also: Israel and Hamas agree to an exchange of medicines for Gaza and Israeli hostages)

“Stopping the war without achieving our goals will damage Israel's security for generations, create a message of weakness and the next massacre will be only a matter of time,” he said, as skepticism also grows among Israel about whether the country can achieve the stated goal of eradicating Hamas.

Given this, Netanyahu reiterated that Military means are the only one that can also be effective in rescuing around a hundred live hostages still in Gaza. and emphasized that the offensive will continue “for long months” until “total victory over Hamas.”

EFE