New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will oppose any deal aimed at establishing a Palestinian state after Israel achieves victory over Hamas in an ongoing war.
In a televised address on Thursday, Netanyahu said the Israeli government will insist on security control over the entire area west of the Jordan River, which is the same position it has taken with regard to the sovereignty of Israel.
“This collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?” he said. The prime minister warned that if a Palestinian state is established in any way, Israel will have no choice but to continue its offensive until it gains victory over Hamas. “The Prime Minister needs to be capable of saying no to our friends,” he added, as per Al Jazeera.
The US National Security Adviser John Kirby responded to Netanyahu’s comments by saying that there will be no reoccupation of Gaza after the war and emphasised that the US remains committed to a two-state solution. “There is no way to solve (Israel’s) 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,” he told a news briefing on Thursday, as per Al Jazeera.