by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel redoubled his opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state this weekend, again rejecting pressure from President Biden to accept that path once the war in Gaza ends.
“My insistence is what has prevented – over the years – the establishment of a Palestinian state that would have constituted an existential danger for Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement in Hebrew on Sunday. “As long as I am prime minister, I will continue to insist strongly on this.”
The statement reiterated comments he made on social media the previous day, when he said in Hebrew that he “will not compromise full Israeli security control of the entire area west of the Jordan River, and that is irreconcilable with a Palestinian state.”
Netanyahu’s comments came after Biden spoke with him on Friday about a two-state solution and raised the possibility of an unarmed Palestinian nation that would not threaten Israel’s security. Biden has argued that the creation of a Palestinian state is the only viable long-term solution to a conflict that has dragged on for decades, repeating a position held by most US presidents and European leaders in recent history.
While there was no indication that Netanyahu would ease his spirited opposition, which is popular among his fragile right-wing political coalition, Biden had expressed optimism that they could still find a consensus.
“There are several types of two-state solutions,” the president told reporters at the White House several hours after Friday’s call, the first in nearly a month amid tension over the war. “There are several countries that are members of the UN and that still do not have their own armies. “Number of states that have limitations.” And he added: “So I think there are ways this could work.”
On Sunday, Grant Shapps, Britain’s defense secretary, called Netanyahu’s stance “disappointing.”
“There is no other option,” Shapps told Sky News in a televised interview. “The entire world has agreed that the two-state solution is the best way forward.”
António Guterres, UN secretary-general, said denying statehood to the Palestinian people was “unacceptable.”
“The right of the Palestinian people to build their own State must be recognized by all,” Guterres said. wrote about X, without reference to Mr. Netanyahu.
The Biden administration and the Israeli government have diverged sharply over how Gaza will be governed when the fighting ends. President Biden and his top diplomat, Antony J. Blinken, have urged Israeli officials to move toward the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.
Biden has suggested that a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, could take over Gaza once Hamas has been removed from power there. Netanyahu has rejected the idea of authority returning to the enclave.
Despite support from the international community, a two-state approach still faces enormous obstacles, including waning support among the Israeli and Palestinian populations, continued settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and a divided Palestinian leadership.
Two key partners in Netanyahu’s coalition – Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister – are steadfast. opponents of a two-state solution. Some analysts have suggested that the two ministers and their parties would vote to dissolve the government if Netanyahu took serious steps to advance the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Analysts noted that Netanyahu’s willingness to undermine his American counterpart was becoming routine.
“Humiliating Biden has become an everyday occurrence for Netanyahu,” Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a think tank in Washington, wrote on social media.
Peter Panadero contributed with reports.
