JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on Saturday to push back against U.S. President Joe Biden’s remarks about Palestinian statehood after the war against Hamas in Gaza ends.
Biden on Friday said he spoke with Netanyahu about possible solutions for creation of an independent Palestinian state, suggesting one path could involve a non-militarized government.
“In his conversation with President Biden, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his policy that after Hamas is destroyed Israel must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, a requirement that contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty,” a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office said.
Asked to clarify whether Netanyahu is opposed to any kind of Palestinian statehood, his office did not immediately respond.
Biden’s call with Netanyahu was the first in nearly a month, the White House said. Asked if a two-state solution was “impossible” while Netanyahu was in office, Biden said, “No, it’s not.”
He said Netanyahu was not opposed to all two-state solutions, and there were a number of types possible.
Netanyahu has stopped short of outright and explicit rejection of Palestinian statehood. But on Thursday he said that in any arrangement in the foreseeable future:
“With an accord or without an accord, Israel must have security control over the entire territory West of the Jordan River. That’s a necessary condition. It clashes with the principle of sovereignty but what can you do.”
U.S.-backed peace talks toward the so-called “two-state solution” that would see Israel living side by side with a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, collapsed a decade ago.
On Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said there was no way to solve Israel’s long-term security challenges and the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Miller said Israel had an opportunity right now as countries in the region were ready to provide security assurances to Israel.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell and Dan Williams)
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