This came during a private dinner with US President Donald Trump on Monday evening at the White House, where the two sides discussed developments in the war in Gaza and efforts to reach a prisoner exchange deal and ceasefire.
Netanyahu rejected the idea of establishing a fully sovereign Palestinian state, considering the experience of the "Hamas state" in Gaza since 2007, as he described it, as sufficient evidence of what could happen if a new Palestinian state were established. He added: "They didn't build a state, but rather tunnels and hideouts, and from there they slaughtered our people and committed massacres the likes of which we haven't seen since the Holocaust."
Trump refers the question to Netanyahu
When Trump was asked during the meeting about his position on the two-state solution, he replied, "I don't know," then referred the question to Netanyahu, who in turn said, "The Palestinians must have the authority to govern themselves, but not the authority to threaten us. Sovereign authority, like comprehensive security, will always remain in our hands."
Netanyahu continued: "We want peace with the Palestinians, who do not seek to destroy us, but we will never allow what happened on October 7 to happen again."
Palestinians accuse Israel of undermining statehood prospects
In contrast, the Palestinians accuse the Israeli government of undermining their chances of establishing a state through continued settlement expansion in the West Bank and the destruction of Gaza's infrastructure during the ongoing war, undermining any hope of a two-state solution, according to the Palestinian Authority and human rights organizations.
Ministers in the Likud party recently called for the annexation of the occupied West Bank before the Knesset recess, capitalizing on the support of the current US administration headed by Trump, who had previously proposed a "Palestinian exodus from Gaza," a proposal that sparked widespread condemnation in the region and around the world.
War and Negotiations
These statements come as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are underway in the Qatari capital, Doha, under US auspices, with the aim of reaching an agreement that includes a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange.
Israel estimates the number of prisoners in Gaza at 50, 20 of whom it says are alive. It also holds more than 10,000 Palestinians, accusing them of torture and medical neglect.
Since Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left approximately 1,200 Israelis dead according to the official account, Israel has waged a devastating war on Gaza with American support, resulting in the deaths of more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and the displacement of most of the Strip's population.
