According to Al Jazeera, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed the US that he is against the creation of a Palestinian state in any post-conflict situation. In a nationally televised news conference on Thursday, Netanyahu said he had communicated his views on Palestinian statehood to US officials and promised to continue the offensive until Israel achieves a “decisive victory over Hamas.”
“In any future arrangement … Israel needs security control over all territory west of the Jordan River,” Netanyahu said. “This collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?”
“The Prime Minister needs to be capable of saying no to our friends,” he added, as per Al Jazeera.
While the US has vetoed United Nations resolutions calling for a ceasefire, it has called on Israel to scale back the intensity of its war on Gaza, and said that the establishment of a Palestinian state should be part of the “day after”
Following the Israeli PM’s comments, US National Security Adviser John Kirby said that there would be no reoccupation of Gaza after the war and emphasised that the US remains committed to a two-state solution.
A spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, added that since neighboring nations are prepared to guarantee security, Israel now has a chance to discuss the concept of a Palestinian state.