Harris stressed that there is no peace in the region without a two-state solution (Anatolia)

With the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting on rejecting the two-state solution and recognizing a Palestinian state, international emphasis on the two-state solution as a means of achieving peace in the region and establishing a post-war phase in the Gaza Strip is increasing.

In this context, US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Friday that there will be no peace or security for Palestinians and Israelis alike without implementing the principle of the two-state solution.

Harris stressed - in a press conference at the 60th Munich Security Conference - the necessity of Israel not occupying the Gaza Strip, and changing its geographical nature after the end of the war, in a way that also ensures that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) does not pose any future threat, as she put it.

For his part, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - in a phone call with Netanyahu - reiterated his emphasis that the two-state solution is the best way to achieve peace and stability in the region, stressing the need to avoid inflaming tensions in the West Bank.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also told Al Jazeera - at the Munich Security Conference - that there is a need to begin peace talks in the region that would lead to the implementation of the two-state solution.

In an interview with Al Jazeera - on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference - the Portuguese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs stressed that the region needs to work towards a two-state solution.

Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed to Netanyahu - in a phone call - his support for the two-state solution and his rejection of Israeli statements calling for the displacement of the Palestinians.

Arab claim

In the Arab world, Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh reiterated his assertion that the region will not enjoy security except through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

For his part, Kishida stressed Japan's support for the two-state solution, to ensure security and stability in the region, pointing out the need to improve the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and calm the situation as soon as possible.

A solution that includes Hamas

In a related context, United Nations Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said that the Hamas movement is not a terrorist organization as classified by Washington and some European countries, and that the United Nations classifies it as a political movement.

He added - in a television interview - that it would be difficult to end the conflict without recognizing the views of Hamas, explaining that dialogue is the solution, and that it is not possible to reach a negotiated solution that does not include the aspirations of the movement.

Palestinian state

Yesterday, Thursday, the Washington Post newspaper quoted American and Arab officials as saying that the administration of President Joe Biden and some of its partners in the Middle East are working on developing a comprehensive plan to establish lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, but ministers in Netanyahu’s government renewed their rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The newspaper said that the peace plan includes a timetable for establishing a Palestinian state that can be announced as soon as possible.

In what appeared to be a direct response to the Washington Post report, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that he would in no way agree to a two-state solution, adding that the Palestinian state constitutes an existential threat to Israel, as he put it.

For his part, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir said that the world wants to give the Palestinians a state and that this will not happen, he said.

The Times of Israel newspaper quoted Diaspora Minister Amichai Shikli as saying that Israel must resist the American plan and threaten to take unilateral steps, such as canceling the Oslo Accords.

The American website Axios quoted Israeli officials yesterday as saying that Netanyahu informed US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken last week of his dissatisfaction with Washington’s choice to recognize a Palestinian state, adding that its recognition harms the Biden administration’s efforts in the peace and normalization plan, according to his description.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies