JERUSALEM – In a forceful declaration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unequivocally rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state, framing it as an unacceptable security threat to Israel in the wake of the October 7th Hamas-led attacks.
The statement, delivered on Thursday, comes amid a growing international push, including from key allies, for a revived peace process centered on a two-state solution.
“A Palestinian state will not be established,” Netanyahu stated. “The response to the recent attempt to impose a terror state in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the US.”
His comments appear to be a direct response to reports that the United States and several Arab nations are working on a long-term peace plan that includes Palestinian statehood.
The Prime Minister issued a sharp rebuke to countries that have recently moved to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, a group that includes Spain, Ireland, and Norway.
“I have a clear message to those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the terrible massacre on October 7th: you are giving a huge reward to terror,” he said. “And I have another message for you: It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”
Netanyahu framed his longstanding opposition to Palestinian statehood as a critical security achievement, boasting of his record in blocking its creation despite what he called “enormous pressures both from within and from outside.”
Furthermore, he highlighted his government’s expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, known in Israel by the biblical names Judea and Samaria.
“Moreover, we have doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria — and we will continue on this path,” he declared. The settlement enterprise is widely considered illegal under international law and is seen by most of the international community as a major obstacle to peace.
The Prime Minister concluded by promising a more detailed response to the recent diplomatic efforts after his upcoming trip to the United States, telling observers, “Wait.”
The remarks are likely to further strain relations with the Biden administration, which has repeatedly stated that a two-state solution with security guarantees for Israel is the only viable long-term path to stability in the region.
