In a press conference on Thursday (18th January) Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu minced no words in rejecting the prospect of a Palestinian state as he said that “Israel needs security control all territory west of Jordan adding that this contradicts the premise of ‘Palestinian sovereignty’.
Rejecting the calls by the United States for a two-state solution after the Israel-Hamas war, the Israeli Prime Minister said, “In any future arrangement … Israel needs security control all territory west of Jordan. This clashes with the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty. What can you do? This conflict is not about the absence of a (Palestinian) state but about the existence of a state, the Jewish state.”
🇮🇱ISRAEL IS AT DIRECT ODDS WITH ITS ALLIES | REJECTS A PALESTINIAN STATE
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 19, 2024
NETANYAHU:
“Israel needs security control over all territory west of the Jordan. This is a necessary condition and collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?”
US BLINKEN:
Without a… pic.twitter.com/IGIKow7fL6
PM Netanyahu’s strong remarks came in response to questions over reports that he has told American officials that he is opposed to the idea of Palestinian sovereignty.
The Israeli Prime Minister further asserted that the country under his leadership will not stop until an absolute victory is secured in its war against Hamas terrorists. “Israel under my leadership will not compromise on less than total victory over Hamas, and we will win. I say this again: We are striving for total victory, not just ‘to strike Hamas’ or ‘to hurt Hamas’, not ‘another round with Hamas’ but total victory over Hamas,” PM Netanyahu said.
Israel under my leadership will not compromise on less than total victory over Hamas, and we will win. I say this again: We are striving for total victory, not just 'to strike Hamas' or 'to hurt Hamas', not 'another round with Hamas' but total victory over Hamas.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 18, 2024
Moreover, he reiterated that the release of the hostages taken by Hamas is a primary goal of Israel which he opined could be achieved only through military pressure. He added that Israel aims at the complete destruction of Hamas and ensuring that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.
“We will continue to fight with full force until we achieve all of our goals: Returning our hostages, and I say – only continued military pressure will lead to their release. Eliminating Hamas and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel, that there will be no element in it that educates for terrorism, finances terrorism and sends terrorists against us….Total victory requires eliminating the terrorist leaders and destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. Total victory requires returning our hostages home. Total victory requires that Gaza be demilitarized, under Israel’s full security control, with Israeli control over everything that enters Gaza. These are also the fundamental conditions for ‘the day after’…We will not finish the war before returning our loved ones home; we will not finish the war before total victory. Together we will fight, and with G-d’s help – together we will win,” PM Netanyahu said.
We will not finish the war before returning our loved ones home; we will not finish the war before total victory.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 18, 2024
Together we will fight, and with G-d's help – together we will win."
Meanwhile, the United States responded by stating that there is “no way” of resolving Israel’s long-term security concerns in the region, as well as the short-term challenges of rebuilding the Gaza Strip, without establishing a Palestinian state.
“We will continue to reiterate to the leadership of Israel, the Government of Israel, and to the people of Israel that these are the opportunities that they have, these are the challenges that they face, but there is no way to solve their long-term challenges to provide lasting security, and there is no way to solve the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza and establishing governance in Gaza, and providing security for Gaza, without the establishment of a Palestinian state,” US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said.
Watch the Daily Press Briefing from the State Department. https://t.co/oTe8L6Iudc
— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) January 18, 2024
Interestingly, last week, Netanyahu rejected a proposal from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that would have led Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel in exchange for Jerusalem consenting to offer the Palestinians a road to statehood. However, Netanyahu maintained that his position would not preclude Israel from broadening the circle of peace to new Arab countries.
“This truth I tell to our American friends, and I put the brakes on the attempt to coerce us to a reality that would endanger the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said.
On Thursday, White House spokesperson John Kirby was asked about Netanyahu rejecting a Palestinian state in a post-war scenario for Gaza. To this Kirby said that the Biden administration sees it ‘differently’ adding that the US President would continue to push for a two-state solution in a post-war scenario.
“I would just tell you that nothing has changed about President Biden’s desire that a two-state solution is really in the best interest of not only the Israeli people but — but, of course, the Palestinian people. In fact, it’s in the best interest of the region. And we’re not going to stop working towards that goal. This is — this is not a new comment by Prime Minister Netanyahu. We see it differently. We believe that the Palestinians have every right to live in an independent state with peace and security. And the President and his team is going to continue to work on that,” Kirby said.
