The US and Israel have clashed over the future of post-war Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets soldiers in Jerusalem, December 25, 2023 © Getty Images / Avi Ohayon (GPO) /Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel “will not settle for anything short of an absolute victory,” defiantly rejecting calls from Washington to wind down the hostilities in Gaza and support the creation of a Palestinian state.
The US pushed for a two-state solution earlier this week in Davos, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arguing that Israel’s path to “genuine security” lay with the formation of a Palestinian state.
The Israeli PM dismissed the idea on Thursday, asserting that “Israel must maintain security control over all the territory west of the Jordan River,” to ensure no “terror is leveled against” the Israeli people.
“We will not settle for anything short of an absolute victory… That collides with the idea of [Palestinian] sovereignty. What can we do?” Netanyahu said at a press briefing in Tel Aviv. “I have explained this truth to our American friends, and I put the brakes on the attempt to coerce us to a reality that would endanger the state of Israel.”
However, Washington believes there is no way to solve Israel and Gaza’s long- and short-term problems “without the establishment of a Palestinian state,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller reiterated on Thursday.
During Blinken’s Middle East tour last week, the US delegation allegedly secured agreements with several Arab leaders to participate in rebuilding Gaza, provided that Israel moves forward with a two-state solution for Palestine.
“For the first time in its history, you see the countries in the region who are ready to step up and further integrate with Israel and provide real security assurances to Israel and the United States is ready to play its part too, but they all have to have a willing partner on the other side,” Miller continued, calling this a “historic opportunity” for West Jerusalem.
Israel’s military operation in Gaza has drawn condemnation from the surrounding Arab states, as well as the wider international community, as the death toll among Palestinians is nearing 25,000 people, according to local officials.
The Israel-Hamas war has caused widespread destruction among the civilian infrastructure of Gaza and displaced over 80% of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents since fighting erupted on October 7. Hamas militants attacked Israel that day, killing more than 1,100 people and taking over 200 hostages. According to Israeli sources, more than 130 people remain in captivity.
