Israel will insist on control of security in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for the foreseeable future after the war and will not accept Palestinian Authority rule, despite calls from the United States.
Source: Bloomberg with reference to a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Direct speech: “This is a mandatory condition, and it contradicts the idea of sovereignty.”
“Every piece of territory that we leave becomes a place from which terrible terrorism can be carried out against us.”
“The Prime Minister of Israel must be able to say no – even to his closest friends.”
Details: Netanyahu said he had communicated his position to the US and, in his words, had “slowed down” what he called attempts to impose a reality on Israel that would only harm the country.
The prime minister added that Israel recognizes the civil authorities of Gaza, which “do not preach or teach the destruction of the state of Israel and do not send terrorists to Israel.”
Hinting that he would not accept the Palestinian Authority, he remarked: “I would be happy if we could find Gazans who would do so.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other US officials have said lasting peace is impossible without the creation of a state for the Palestinians.
“Israel must stop steps that undermine the Palestinians’ ability to govern themselves effectively,” Blinken said in Tel Aviv this month.
Asked about Netanyahu’s comments, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Thursday that Israel would not be able to solve its long-term problems without the creation of a Palestinian state.
“Israel has a historic opportunity to solve the problems it has faced since its founding, and we hope that the country will seize this opportunity,” he said.
Let us remind you: At the end of December, Netanyahu named three “preconditions for peace.”
2024-01-18 23:36:21
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