02/16/2024 5:58
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected international recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday evening (15), saying the initiative would “represent a huge reward for terrorism.”
As part of negotiations to end the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Washington Post mentioned that the United States government and several Arab countries are working on a plan for lasting peace in the PalestinianIsraeli conflict.
The plan, which negotiators hope to finalize before the start of Ramadan on March 10, calls for a ceasefire of “at least six weeks” and the release of hostages captured by Hamas in its attack in southern Israel on October 7.
It also sets a timetable for the establishment and recognition of a Palestinian state, the newspaper said, citing American and Arab sources.
“Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Such recognition after the October 7 massacre would be a huge reward for unprecedented terrorism and would hinder any future peace agreement,” Netanyahu wrote on his account on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
“Israel categorically rejects international dictates regarding a permanent agreement with the Palestinians,” he added.
A peace agreement must be the result of “direct negotiations without preconditions,” he added.
Two influential rightwing Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir (National Security) and Bezalel Smotrich (Finance), had already spoken out against the plan.
“We will never agree to a plan like this, which in reality says that the Palestinians deserve a reward for the terrible massacre they committed,” Smotrich wrote on the same social network;
In the message, the minister described a Palestinian state as an “existential threat to the State of Israel.”
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