Netanyahu: No full Palestinian state, no ‘surrender’ in exchange for Gaza hostages

As US President Joe Biden’s administration called for the war against Hamas to wind down alongside a pathway toward a two-state solution at the end of the fight, Israel’s leadership presented a vision at odds with that of the White House on Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down in a video message on his determination not to allow a full-fledged, militarized Palestinian state to emerge.

“I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of the Jordan [River],” he said, echoing recent comments.

“As long as I am prime minister, I will continue to firmly stand by this,” he pledged, boasting that he had withstood international and domestic pressure over the years to move toward a two-state solution.

Netanyahu has made similar statements over the past week, though he appears to have been careful not to categorically reject all forms of Palestinian statehood. Speaking after a report on Wednesday that said the Biden administration is looking past the premier to advance a two-state solution — and hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel cannot achieve “genuine security” without a pathway to a Palestinian state — Netanyahu said Israel must maintain “security control” of all territory west of the Jordan River in any future arrangement.

After he spoke with Netanyahu on Friday, Biden expressed hope that a two-state solution could be achieved even with Netanyahu in office if it is demilitarized. A CNN report the next day indicated that Netanyahu told Biden that he was not ruling out a Palestinian state entirely. (A US official has confirmed the CNN report to The Times of Israel.)

The prime minister pushed back on that as well, tweeting on Saturday night that “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of the Jordan River — and this runs contrary to a Palestinian state.”

But Netanyahu’s video statement Sunday could be seen as leaving the door open slightly for a demilitarized Palestinian state.

He also rejected the idea that a deal could emerge that leaves Hamas in power, insisting that Israel will achieve “total victory,” after which “there will be no entity in Gaza that finances terrorism, educates for terrorism or sends our terror.”

Netanyahu demanded that Gaza be demilitarized under Israel’s full security control.

Earlier Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US, Egypt and Qatar are pushing Israel and Hamas to accept a comprehensive plan that would end the war, see the release of hostages held in Gaza, and ultimately lead to full normalization for Israel with its neighbors and talks for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

In his video statement, Netanyahu said that Israel completely rejects Hamas’s demands for “surrender” in exchange for releasing the remaining 136 hostages in Gaza.

“So far, we have brought home 110 hostages, and we are committed to bringing them all back,” said Netanyahu. “I am working on this around the clock. But let it be clear: I reject outright the terms of surrender of the Hamas monsters.”

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