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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that his government remains firmly opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, issuing the clarification amid intense criticism from far-right parties in his ruling coalition. The backlash followed a US-backed statement at the United Nations referencing a potential path towards Palestinian statehood.
The dispute erupted after the United States and several Muslim-majority countries endorsed a UN resolution supporting former US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the genocide in Gaza. The resolution includes language implying the possibility of an independent Palestinian state, provided that the Palestinian Authority undergoes significant reforms.
The clause triggered outrage among Israel’s far-right leadership, who had already voiced opposition to the Trump-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.
The political fallout now threatens the stability of Netanyahu’s coalition. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—both influential far-right figures—demanded that Netanyahu explicitly reject any reference to Palestinian statehood. Ben-Gvir warned he would withdraw his party from the government if Netanyahu failed to issue a clear, unequivocal statement.
“Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory remains unchanged. Gaza will be demilitarised, and Hamas will be disarmed, one way or another. I don’t need assurances, tweets or lectures from anyone,” Netanyahu responded defiantly.
READ: Israel presses US to soften UN draft that references Palestinian self-determination, statehood
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
