Washington:
There is “no way” to solve Israel's long-term security problems in the region and the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza without establishing a Palestinian state, said US department spokesman Matthew Miller. of Foreign Affairs, Thursday.
At a news briefing, Miller said Israel had an opportunity at this time because countries in the region were ready to provide security guarantees to Israel.
“But there is no way to solve their long-term challenges of providing sustainable security, and there is no way to solve the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza, establishing governance in Gaza and providing security for Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state. “
The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference that he had told Washington he objected to any Palestinian state that did not guarantee Israel's security.
“I clarify that in any settlement in the near future, with or without an agreement, Israel must have security control over all territory west of the Jordan. That is a necessary condition. It clashes with the principle of sovereignty, but what can you do? ” Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv.
He added that the lack of a Palestinian state had not hindered normalization deals with Arab states a few years ago, and that he still planned to add more countries to those accords.
Israel and its biggest backer, the United States, now appear to be at odds, with Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition government largely rejecting the creation of a Palestinian state, even as Washington claims the two-state solution is the only viable way to achieve lasting peace. bring into the country. the region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his fourth trip to the Middle East last week since the October 7 Hamas attack, made a crude deal with Israel that its predominantly Muslim neighbors would help rehabilitate Gaza after the war and boost its economic to continue integration with Israel. , but only if it is committed to ultimately allowing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
US-brokered talks on a Palestinian state in territory now occupied by Israel collapsed almost a decade ago.
The latest episode of hostilities in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. Israel says more than 130 remain in captivity.
Israel responded to Hamas' attack with a siege, bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, which has devastated the small coastal area and killed more than 24,000 people, Gaza health officials said.
Despite the disagreements, U.S. support for longtime ally Israel remains “rock solid,” Miller said.
“It's not about the United States pressuring them to do anything. It's about the United States giving them the opportunities they have.”
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