Right‑wing Israeli ministers demand Netanyahu publicly rule out recognition of a Palestinian state

Right‑wing ministers press Netanyahu to rule out Palestinian statehood

Senior ministers and far‑right lawmakers publicly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday to declare that Israel will never create or recognise a Palestinian state, following a wave of foreign recognitions and references to Palestinian statehood in a recent UN Security Council draft.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Netanyahu of prolonged silence that, he said, has caused diplomatic damage. In a post on X, Smotrich wrote that after several countries announced unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state two months ago, Netanyahu had promised a decisive response upon returning from the United States but had not followed through.

"Two months have passed in which you have chosen silence and diplomatic disgrace. The deterioration we are now witnessing in this matter is dangerous, and it is your responsibility due to your silence," Smotrich said, urging the prime minister to make it clear to the world: "No Palestinian state will ever arise on the lands of our homeland."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir dismissed the concept of a distinct Palestinian national identity. He described Palestinians as "a collection of immigrants from Arab countries to the Land of Israel," saying the idea of a Palestinian people has "no historical, archaeological, or factual basis." Ben‑Gvir called for policies to encourage voluntary emigration from Gaza and warned that a Palestinian state there would become "a base for continued terrorism."

"There is no such thing as a 'Palestinian people.' It is an invention... And certainly they do not deserve a prize for the terror, the murder, and the atrocities they have sown everywhere, especially from Gaza," Ben‑Gvir said.

The Yesha Council, which represents municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, likewise urged Netanyahu to categorically rule out any form of Palestinian statehood. The council warned that silence following recognition by dozens of European countries risks enabling the de facto creation of such an entity.

Internationally, a group of countries including the United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey issued a joint statement supporting a US‑drafted UN Security Council resolution that would "offer a pathway to Palestinian self‑determination and statehood." The statement described the plan as "a sincere effort" presenting a possible route to peace and regional stability.

References to Palestinian statehood also appear in a UN Security Council draft circulated on Thursday. The draft discusses an International Security Force to govern Gaza during a transitional period and states that "after the PA reform program is faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self‑determination and statehood." It further notes that the United States would "establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence."

Separately, US officials circulated a draft plan intended to help end the war in Gaza, which conditions any withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from the Gaza Strip on "verified demilitarization" and says such a withdrawal would proceed "in coordination with the United States and regional Arab states."

Reporting contributed by Amichai Stein and Reuters.