Netanyahu (right) with Smotrich next to him during a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government announced on Saturday their rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, in a move contrary to Washington's position calling for pursuing this option after the end of the war on Gaza.
Netanyahu said that Israel will not give up its full security control over the lands west of Jordan (the West Bank).
He added that abandoning those (occupied Palestinian) lands contradicts the Palestinian state.
The Israeli Prime Minister said that he opposes the establishment of any Palestinian state that does not guarantee the security of Israel, as he put it.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office denied what CNN reported about Netanyahu's commitment to the Palestinian state during a phone call yesterday with US President Joe Biden, stressing that Netanyahu repeated to Biden his firm position regarding the Palestinian state.
On Friday evening, Netanyahu stated that Israel will maintain its security control over the Gaza Strip after eliminating the Hamas movement, which contradicts Palestinian sovereignty over the Strip, stressing that security control is to ensure that Gaza does not pose any future security threat to Israel.
Yesterday, US President Joe Biden confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not oppose - during the phone call - the issue, pointing out that the two-state solution is not impossible with Netanyahu in power.
Biden's statements came after Netanyahu's first call in about a month, during which they discussed the issue of the two-state solution.
The Associated Press quoted American officials as saying that the US President's frustration with the Israeli Prime Minister during their recent call had become more evident.
Ben Gvir said that he always opposes the concept of a (European) Palestinian state.
"Danger to Israel"
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said that the establishment of a Palestinian state “is a reward for terrorism and a danger to the State of Israel and will encourage the killing of Jews,” as he put it.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also said that there is a broad consensus in Israel to reject the Palestinian state and the division of lands, saying that the White House must be freed from “the illusions of the concepts that led to the disaster in Israel.”
Smotrich added that pushing for the establishment of a Palestinian state is a push for the coming massacre and an existential threat to Israel, as he put it.
In this context, Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar said, “We will never allow the establishment of a Palestinian state,” while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stated that he has always opposed the concept of a Palestinian state.
As for National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, he said, in turn, that he has always opposed the concept of a Palestinian state.
Israel Today newspaper also quoted Knesset Deputy Speaker Nissim Faturi as saying that there will be no Palestinian state.
In this context, Israeli Minister of Education Yifat Shasha-Biton announced that there will be no Palestinian authority in Gaza.
On the other hand, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that relations with the United States are too important to be transformed into public disputes aimed at achieving political gains.
Lapid added through his account on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that doing so in times of war and when the United States stands with Israel is in fact a violation of the law.
Source: Al Jazeera