Netanyahu rejects US push for Palestinian statehood

Houthis attack US ship, no damage

Yemen's Houthis attacked an American ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday night. The United States to confirm the attack, saying it involved two anti-ship missiles that landed in the water next to the ship and caused no damage. The Houthis previously claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that some of the rockets did hit their targets, according to international news agencies.

According to the US, this is the third Houthi attack on a commercial ship in three days. On Thursday, the US carried out a fifth attack on Houthi targets in Yemen. According to CENTCOMthe US military's Central Command, two Houthi anti-ship missiles were destroyed in this fifth attack.

Netanyahu rejects US push for Palestinian statehood

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the United States that he opposes the formation of a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza ends. He stated this on Thursday, international news agencies report. With this position he is in direct opposition to American President Joe Biden, who is pushing for a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu also rejected American calls to scale back the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip during a press conference. The tension underlines a growing rift between the two allies over the scale of Israel's war and plans for the region's future.

“I make it clear that in any settlement in the near future, with or without an agreement, Israel must have security control over all territory west of the Jordan,” Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv. “That is a necessary condition. It conflicts with the principle of sovereignty, but nothing can be done about that.”

No security without Palestinian independence
He added that the absence of a Palestinian state had not hindered agreements on normalizing relations with Arab states in recent years, and that he still planned to conclude such agreements with more countries.

Netanyahu made his comments a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel will never have “real security” without a path to Palestinian independence. Earlier this week, the White House said this was the “right time” for Israel to reduce the intensity of its military offensive in Gaza.

The US has reacted negatively to Netanyahu's statements. There is “no way” to solve Israel's long-term security problems in the region without establishing a Palestinian state, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Thursday.

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