Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu insisted that Israel’s long-standing policy opposing Palestinian statehood “has not changed at all.” He dismissed rising international pressure, stating, “I do not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone,” and vowed that Gaza “must be completely demilitarised” and Hamas disarmed, either “the easy way or the hard way.”
The US Proposal and Israeli Coalition Tension
The UNSC resolution, drafted by the US Administration of President Donald Trump, outlines a 20-point plan that includes setting up an international stabilization force in Gaza after the war. Crucially, the plan contains a clause suggesting that reforms within the Palestinian Authority could create a “credible pathway” to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
This clause immediately triggered fierce opposition from within Israel’s far-right governing coalition:
Ministers’ Demands: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded that Netanyahu publicly denounce the US proposal, with Ben-Gvir threatening to collapse the coalition if the Prime Minister failed to act.
Rejection of Identity: Defence Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also rejected statehood, while Ben-Gvir went further, calling Palestinian identity “an invention.”
Netanyahu justified his stance by arguing that creating a Palestinian state would “reward Hamas” and merely lead to a larger militant enclave on Israel’s borders.
Palestinian and Hamas Rejection
Hamas and various Palestinian factions also rejected the US proposal, calling it an attempt to impose an international mandate on Gaza that “strips Palestinians of the right to manage their own affairs.” They insisted that any stabilization force must be under direct UN supervision and explicitly must not involve Israel. (TNIE)
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