US reacts to Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks on future of Palestinian state
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently commented on ongoing Israel-Hamas war and postwar scenario in context of Palestinian independence.
Differences between the US and Israel over the establishment of a Palestinian state after the ongoing Israel-Hamas war are out in the open. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has reacted to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks on the ongoing war and postwar scenario in context of Palestinian independence.
“We obviously see it differently,” said Kirby. On Thursday, Netanyahu had reiterated that his country's victory over Hamas would take many more months and thus rejected US calls to lower the intensity of its ongoing military offensive in Gaza. Weighing in on the issue of complete Palestinian independence, Netanyahu rejected the idea. Netanyhu highlighted that Israel "must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan (River)."
"This is a necessary condition, and it conflicts with the idea of (Palestinian) sovereignty," said Netanyahu in a nationally televised news conference.
ALSO READ| Turkey's first astronaut launched on flight to International Space Station
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had emphasised the need of Palestinian independence for ensuring the “genuine security” of Israel. Earlier this week, the US had also urged scaling back of Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip.
In an apparent rebuttal to the US, Netanyahu said: "a prime minister in Israel should be able to say no, even to our best friends -- to say no when necessary, and to say yes if possible."
Notably, the international community is worried about the fate of the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territory after the Israel-Hamas war ends. Prior to the ongoing war, Hamas was controlling the government in the Gaza Strip region.
During his trip to the Middle East last week, Blinken highlighted to Israeli authorities that Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, were willing to help reconstruct Gaza and aid with future Palestinian governance, but only on the condition that Israel clear the path for Palestinian statehood.
With inputs from news agencies
Recommended Topics 