Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government have underscored their opposition to a Palestinian state ahead of a United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution endorsing a United States-backed Gaza peace plan.
The draft resolution would follow up on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas brokered by US President Donald Trump, giving the council’s blessing for a transitional administration and a temporary international security force in the territory.
Unlike previous drafts, the latest version of the resolution mentions a possible future Palestinian state, which the Israeli government is vehemently against.
“Our opposition to a Palestinian state on any territory has not changed,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced backlash from members of his coalition, most notably the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Smotrich criticized Netanyahu for not adequately addressing the recent surge in Western countries recognizing Palestinian statehood.
“Formulate immediately an appropriate and decisive response that will make it clear to the entire world — no Palestinian state will ever arise on the lands of our homeland,” Smotrich urged Netanyahu on X.
Netanyahu responded, saying he did “not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone”.
Several other ministers have voiced their disapproval of Palestinian statehood, although they have not directly mentioned the specific resolution in question.
Defence minister Israel Katz wrote on X: “Israel’s policy is clear: no Palestinian state will be established.”
Foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar also said on X that the country would “not agree to the establishment of a Palestinian terror state in the heart of the Land of Israel”.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, a prominent far-right figure and the National Security Minister, went as far as to describe the concept of Palestinian identity as an “invention.”
The UN Security Council resolution would effectively usher in the second phase of the US-backed deal reached last month, which brought about a ceasefire after two years of the conflict that escalated due to Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel in 2023.
The first phase of the deal led to the release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages and 25 out of the 28 dead captives held by Palestinian militants.
In exchange, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and returned 330 bodies.
