Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he rejected US calls to scale back the country’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip or take steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state after the conflict ends, drawing scorn from the White House. Netanyahu said in a press conference that he told Washington about his objections to any Palestinian statehood that does not guarantee Israel’s security.
“I clarify that in any arrangement in the foreseeable future, with an accord or without an accord, Israel must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River. That’s a necessary condition. It clashes with the principle of sovereignty but what can you do,” Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv, in what appeared to be growing differences between the two close allies. The Israeli PM asserted that the lack of Palestinian statehood has not hampered normalisation agreements with Arab states and he intends to add more countries to the accords.
The US has strongly pushed for the two-state solution to the Palestinian issue – through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. US State Department Matthew Miller on Thursday said there was “no way” to solve Israel’s long-term security challenges in the region and the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“There is no way to solve their 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,” Miller said. US-brokered talks on a Palestinian state collapsed almost a decade ago.
While the United States prefers the Palestinian Authority (PA) led by Mahmoud Abbas to take the reins in a postwar Gaza, Israel has maintained that it is in no condition to rule the devastated Palestinian enclave and pledged to take short-term control once the military operations come to an end. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel would never have “genuine security” without a pathway toward Palestinian independence.
The latest conflict began on October 7 last year when Hamas stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people and took 240 people hostages, out of which 130 still remain in captivity. Israel responded with a heavy bombardment campaign and ground operations that have killed over 24,000 people and flattened much of the territory, displacing 85 per cent of the 2.3 million population.
Israel remains defiant despite international pressure
Despite international pressure and an ongoing genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel insists that cessation of military operations would amount to a victory for Hamas and vowed not to stop until Hamas is completely crushed to maintain the country’s long-term security.
“Total victory requires that Gaza be demilitarised, under Israel’s full security control, with Israeli control over everything that enters Gaza. These are also the fundamental conditions for ‘the day after’. I would like to emphasise: ‘The day after’ is the day after the elimination of Hamas, and therefore victory comes first of all. It will be achieved only if we stay focused on achieving victory, and staying united behind our heroic soldiers who are giving their lives to achieve it,” said Netanyahu on Thursday.
He rejected claims by a growing chorus of Israeli critics that those goals are not achievable, vowing to press ahead for many months. “We will not settle for anything short of an absolute victory,” said the Israeli Prime Minister. After initially giving Israel wall-to-wall support in the early days of the war, the United States, Israel’s closest ally, has begun to express misgivings and urged Netanyahu to spell out his vision for postwar Gaza.
Netanyahu, who leads a right-wing coalition government largely rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, said the establishment of such state would become a launching pads for attacks on Israel. He said Israel “must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River,” adding: “That collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can we do?”
The comments prompted an immediate rebuke from the White House. Kirby said that President Joe Biden would “not stop working” toward a two-state solution. Meanwhile, families of the hostages and their many supporters have called for a new cease-fire that could bring them home. Hamas released over 100 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a weeklong cease-fire in November.
Netanyahu’s opponents accuse him of delaying any discussion of postwar scenarios to avoid looming investigations of governmental failures, keep his coalition intact and put off elections. Polls show that the popularity of Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, has plummeted during the war.
Medical aid in Gaza
In the meantime, there was no confirmation on Thursday whether medicines that entered the territory as part of a deal brokered by France and Qatar had been distributed to dozens hostages with chronic illnesses who are being held by Hamas. The deal includes large shipments of medicine, food and humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians as well.
Qatar confirmed late Wednesday that the medicine had entered Gaza, but it was not yet clear if it had been distributed to the hostages, who are being held in secret locations, including underground bunkers. The deal was finalised as fighting between Hamas fighters and Israeli troops have intensified each day.
Hamas has continued to fight back across Gaza, even in the most devastated areas, and launch rockets into Israel. It says it will not release any more hostages until there is a permanent cease-fire, something Israel and the United States, its top ally, have ruled out.
Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets in all parts of Gaza, often killing women and children. Early Thursday, medics said an Israeli airstrike on a home killed 16 people, half of them children, in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Israel says its forces have killed roughly 9,000 militants, without providing evidence, and that 193 of its own soldiers have been killed since the Gaza ground offensive began.
(with inputs from agencies)