First-hand Israeli perspective from Mr. Yedidiya Harush on Muslims driving out Jews from legal communities in Gush Katif on the Gaza Strip (such as Atzmona) resettled to "safer" new desert community Halutza, where the Jewish National Fund contributes to their habitat. Recorded 2014 at Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles.
Israel’s government unanimously voted Sunday to reject any attempts by foreign powers to create a Palestinian state once the war against Hamas ends, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Netanyahu introduced a measure after a cabinet meeting Sunday morning that said Israel “outright rejects” calls for a two-state solution being pushed by the US and other members of the United Nations. The Israeli government swiftly adopted the proposal.
“Israel outright rejects international dictates regarding the permanent settlement with the Palestinians,” the Jewish state said in the declaration. “Such an arrangement will be reached only through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions. Israel will continue to oppose the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
“Such a recognition, following the massacre of Oct. 7, will give a huge reward to terrorism, a reward like no other, and will prevent any future peace settlement,” it adds. The declaration echoes Netanyahu’s remarks last week where he described a two-state solution as a “prize” for Hamas during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been pushing the Biden administration’s proposal for international recognition of a Palestinian state.
Biden has repeatedly called for the war in Gaza to conclude with a reformed Palestinian Authority taking the reins and having Palestine officially recognized as its own sovereign state. “Such a recognition, following the massacre of Oct. 7, will give a huge reward to terrorism, a reward like no other, and will prevent any future peace settlement,” it adds.
The declaration echoes Netanyahu’s remarks last week where he described a two-state solution as a “prize” for Hamas during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been pushing the Biden administration’s proposal for international recognition of a Palestinian state. Biden has repeatedly called for the war in Gaza to conclude with a reformed Palestinian Authority taking the reins and having Palestine officially recognized as its own sovereign state.
In addition to the US pushing for a two-state solution, America’s allies in the Middle East have demanded it, also. Saudi Arabian leaders have called it a necessity for their country to begin normalizing its ties with Israel and helping the US suppress Iran-backed extremists in the region. But Netanyahu has said Israel would not allow such an outcome and has said that no foreign power should dictate what happens in Gaza after the war ends, insisting the Jewish state should be the sole nation leading the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave. A two-state solution has remained elusive between Israelis and Palestinians for decades, with each proposal rejected since the Jewish state’s formation in 1947. Before the current war, discussions for the West Bank and Gaza to form a state alongside Israel were stalled since 2014.