Our Opposition To Palestinian State Has Not Changed, Says Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reaffirmed that Israel’s stance on the creation of a Palestinian state remains despite pressure from far-right allies.

In a statement on Sunday, Netanyahu declared, “Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed. Gaza will be demilitarised, and Hamas will be disarmed, the easy way or the hard way. I do not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone.”

His remarks came after the United States and several Muslim-majority nations endorsed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution supporting President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which outlines a possible route to Palestinian independence if reforms are made within the Palestinian Authority.

The 15-member UN Security Council began debating the draft on November 7. The proposal includes establishing a transitional “Board of Peace” to oversee post-war reconstruction and economic recovery in Gaza and notes that reforms could create conditions for a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and eventual statehood.

The reference to statehood angered far-right leaders Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who had opposed the Trump-brokered October ceasefire in Gaza.

Both leaders demanded Netanyahu publicly reject any recognition of a Palestinian state, with Ben-Gvir threatening to quit the coalition if he failed to do so—a move that could collapse the government ahead of the October 2026 election deadline.

Defence Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also posted statements on X opposing Palestinian statehood on Sunday, signalling fractures within the coalition.

Trump’s Gaza plan formally ended two years of war between Israel and Hamas that devastated the Palestinian enclave and triggered broader regional tensions.

According to Gaza health officials, more than 69,000 people were killed during the conflict, while Israeli authorities say around 1,200 Israelis died in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. Although the ceasefire took effect on October 10, sporadic violence continues.

Netanyahu had earlier promised diplomatic responses to Western countries, including France, that formally recognised a Palestinian state in September but has yet to take action, a point used by Smotrich to accuse him of “political disgrace”.