Ahmed Asmar
19 February 2024•Update: 19 February 2024
JERUSALEM
Nearly five months into its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday reiterated his stance that Tel Aviv will preserve its security control over the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, vowing to push back on international pressure.
"With or without a permanent settlement, Israel will maintain full security control over the entire area west of Jordan," Netanyahu in a recorded message posted on X.
"This, of course, includes Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and the Gaza Strip," he added.
Netanyahu also said his government is facing new pressures in recent days in an attempt "to force upon us the unilateral establishment of a Palestinian state which will endanger the existence of the State of Israel."
He also said he introduced legislation to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to reject the unilateral “imposition” on Israel of a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu added he is certain that the legislation will receive wide support after it was unanimously passed in the Cabinet on Sunday, “and it will show the world that there is wide agreement in Israel against the international efforts to force on us a Palestinian state.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that Israel has a great opportunity to achieve peace with Palestinians, adding that the creation of a Palestinian state has become an urgent need.
The Palestinians hope to establish an independent state of their own in the Gaza Strip and West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Netanyahu has been adamant in his opposition to a two-state solution, despite the international community advocating it as the only viable path forward.
The conflict since Oct. 7 led Israel to launch a harsh crackdown on the West Bank, with at least 398 Palestinians killed and 4,500 injured by Israeli army gunfire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.
Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed over 29,000 and injured over 69,000 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara
