Cohen joined a number of leaders in Israel who expressed their rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state (Reuters)
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said that Israel would prefer not to reach peace agreements with Palestinian factions, if they would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Through his account on the “X” platform, Cohen wrote, “If the price of expanding the peace agreements is a Palestinian state, then I am abandoning the peace agreements. There will be no Palestinian state. Enough is enough.”
Cohen's statements came after a series of calls from the United States of America and Western countries to work on a two-state solution, as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is the way out of the cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
On the sidelines of his participation in the Munich Security Conference, Blinken spoke of "an exceptional opportunity for Israel in the coming months to end this cycle once and for all, and make progress towards a two-state solution."
Blinken added, "Progress has become more urgent than ever to establish a Palestinian state, a state that guarantees Israel's security and makes the necessary commitments to do so. Doing so may result in an integrated region in which Iran is isolated and Israel is safe in an unprecedented way."
In addition to the United States, European countries announced that they are considering recognizing an independent Palestinian state in a proactive step that would pave the way for the implementation of the two-state solution. However, this was met with rejection from the highest political levels in Israel.
In previous statements, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, and said that Israel would not give up its full security control over the West Bank.
In turn, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that he would not agree in any way to a two-state solution, and considered that the Palestinian state “constitutes an existential threat to the State of Israel, as was proven on October 7,” in reference to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
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, while Diaspora Minister Amichai Shekli stressed that Israel must resist the American plan and threaten to take unilateral steps such as canceling the Oslo Accords.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies + websites