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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected U.S. calls to scale back the military offensive in the Gaza Strip and take steps toward establishing a Palestinian state after the war, drawing immediate rebuke from the White House, the Associated Press reported.
The strained talks reflect what has become a major rift between the two allies over the scope of Israel’s war and its plans for the future of the besieged territory. “Obviously, we see things differently,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Netanyahu made the announcement just a day after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Israel would never have “true security” without a clear path to an independent Palestinian state. Earlier this week, the White House also announced that the time was “right” for Israel to reduce the intensity of its devastating military offensive in Gaza.
In a nationally televised press conference, Netanyahu repeatedly said Israel would not stop its offensive until it had achieved its goals of destroying the Hamas militant group in Gaza and returning home all remaining hostages held by Hamas. .
He rejected claims by a growing chorus of Israeli critics that those goals were unattainable and promised to press ahead for many months. “We will not be satisfied with anything other than an absolute victory,” stressed the Israeli prime minister.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said in Davos that the kingdom is ready to establish full relations with Israel as part of a larger political settlement. “But this can only be done through peace for the Palestinians, through a Palestinian state,” he stressed.
According to Netanyahu, who heads a far-right government opposed to Palestinian statehood, the Palestinian state will become a springboard for attacks on Israel. Israel “must have control over the security of the entire territory west of the Jordan River,” he said, adding that “this goes against the idea of sovereignty. What can we do?”
“I am telling this truth to our American friends and I am putting the brakes on attempts to force us into a reality that would endanger the state of Israel,” he said.
The comments drew immediate rebuke from the White House. Kirby said President Joe Biden “will not stop working” to achieve a two-state solution, the AP noted.
(BTA)
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2024-01-19 06:39:00
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