Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long sought to block the establishment of a Palestinian state throughout his political career, despite occasional lukewarm support for the notion.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a Cabinet meeting at the Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defence, in Tel Aviv on December 31, 2023. Netanyahu said Israel displayed unparalleled "morality" in the Gaza war and rejected South Africa's charge that it was committing "genocidal" acts in the Palestinian territory.
In a nationally broadcast news conference on Thursday, Netanyahu pledged to continue the offensive until Israel attains a "decisive victory over Hamas." He also conveyed his rejection of a Palestinian state to the U.S. The firm stance against U.S. foreign policy comes at a time when the Biden administration has invested significant domestic political capital to support Israel, both militarily and in international arenas.
In an article published by The Guardian, the White House responded by saying the U.S. would continue working towards a two-state solution and said bluntly that there could be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza when the war concluded.
"There will a post-conflict Gaza, no reoccupation of Gaza," the White House national security adviser, John Kirby, told reporters onboard Air Force One, after Netanyahu's speech.
Israel's assault, one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history, has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, caused widespread destruction, and uprooted over 80% of the territory's 2.3 million people from their homes, reported The Associated Press.
Global Calls to Halt War
The staggering cost of the war has led to increasing calls from the international community to halt the offensive. 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.
The United States has said the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which governs semi-autonomous zones in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, should be "revitalized" and return to Gaza. Hamas ousted the authority from Gaza in 2007.
Speaking Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Blinken said the two-state solution was the best way to protect Israel, unify moderate Arab countries, and isolate Israel's arch-enemy, Iran, the AP further revealed.
Without a "pathway to a Palestinian state," he said, Israel would not "get genuine security."
Netanyahu, who leads what has been characterized as a far-right government that is opposed to Palestinian statehood, repeated his longstanding opposition to a two-state solution. He said a Palestinian state would become a launching pad for attacks on Israel.
