Israeli PM openly rejects for Palestinian state
Israeli PM openly rejects a Palestinian state |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has told the United States that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state once the conflict in Gaza comes to an end.
In a news conference, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry on the military offensive in Gaza until complete victory is not achieved. He also repeated his goals of destroying Hamas and bringing back the Israeli hostages from Gaza. He also added that the military offense will continue for many more months.
The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, claimed that almost 25,000 people in Gaza have died and more than 85% of the population in the Gaza Strip has been displaced.
Speaking to reporters following Mr Netanyahu's latest comments, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby recognised that the US and Israel "obviously" see things differently.
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu said Israel must have security control over all land west of the River Jordan, which would include the territory of any future Palestinian state.
"This is a necessary condition, and it conflicts with the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty. What to do? I tell this truth to our American friends, and I also stopped the attempt to impose a reality on us that would harm Israel's security," he said.
Mr Netanyahu has spent much of his political career opposing Palestinian statehood, boasting just last month that he was proud to have prevented its establishment, so his latest remarks come as no surprise.
But the very public rebuttal of Washington's diplomatic push, and determination to stay the current military course, show the chasm widening with Israel's western allies.
Since the 7 October attacks - the worst in Israel's history, when Hamas gunmen killed about 1,300 Israelis and took some 240 hostage - the US has supported its right to defend itself.
But as the death toll in Gaza has grown, and the scenes of horror there have abounded, Western governments have called for Israeli restraint.
The White House has repeatedly tried to influence Israel's military policy: urging more precision-guided weapons rather than the blanket air strikes; discouraging a ground offensive; and calling for a two-state solution, with a role for the Palestinian Authority in post-conflict Gaza.
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