Netanyahu maintains opposition to Palestinian state amid far-right pressure
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday maintained his opposition to a Palestinian state during a government meeting. His remarks came one day before the United Nations Security Council was set to vote on a draft resolution on Gaza that includes a “Board of Peace” as a “transitional governance administration” in Gaza.
President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan states that if the Palestinian Authority is reformed, “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
This resolution drew ire from far-right leaders in Israel, with one minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying he’d leave the governing coalition if Netanyahu didn’t act, Reuters reported.
“Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory west of the Jordan [River], this opposition is existing, valid, and has not changed one bit,” Netanyahu said Sunday. “I have been rebuffing these attempts for decades and I am doing it both against pressures from outside and against pressures from within. So, I do not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone.”
Other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, recently formally recognized a Palestinian state in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
More than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military bombing and ground offensives in the two years of the Israel-Hamas War, health authorities said. Most of Gaza’s population have been displaced, many multiple times. Several expert organizations say Israel’s government committed genocide, and the International Criminal Court put out a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest last November.
Israel’s offensive began after Hamas militants attacked the country on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
2026 elections in Israel
During the same speech, Netanyahu addressed the 2026 elections in Israel, which are currently scheduled to occur by Oct. 27.
“The elections will be held by the end of [next] year — we know that — and I assume it will be at the end of the year,” Netanyahu said. “But during this election year, we are witnessing a barrage of primaries [campaigning], both from within Likud and from outside.”
The Times of Israel wrote that though Netanyahu didn’t call out any specific ministers by name, some interpreted his remarks to be about Defense Minister Israel Katz over his posts on social media about top security and diplomatic issues.
Torrential rain in Gaza
Since Friday, displaced Palestinians in Gaza have dealt with flooding spurred by heavy rainfall, destroying the tents they are staying in.
While Gazan officials received “hundreds of pleas for help,” Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for Gaza Civil Defense, said “the resources are nonexistent,” according to the AP.
“Entire shelter centers have seen water levels rise to more than 10 centimeters (3.94 inches). Mattresses are soaked, blankets are drenched and there are no options left — because every option has been destroyed by Israel,” he said.
Sana Abu Harad, 38, speaking to NBC News while holding her shivering child in their Gaza City tent, said “everything is underwater.”
“Why must this little child sleep in floodwater? I struggled so much just to get this tent, and now nothing protects us. Where will I live with my children now?” she asked.
UNICEF Palestine said Friday it distributed more than 5,000 tents, 220,000 tarps and 29,000 winter clothes kits. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, a unit in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, said on X it facilitated close to 140,000 tarpaulins directly to the residents of the Gaza Strip “in preparation for the winter and protection from the rain.”
However, the Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq said last week that Israeli authorities rejected 107 requests for the entry of relief materials, “including blankets, winter clothes and tools and material to maintain and operate water, sanitation and hygiene services.”
“Much more aid must be allowed in NOW,” UNICEF Middle East and North Africa said Sunday.
Settler attacks in the West Bank
In the West Bank, Palestinian and human rights groups said settler attacks are on the rise, according to The Associated Press.
On Sunday, Palestinian health officials said a 19-year-old Palestinian man was killed by Israeli military fire, the outlet wrote. The Israeli military alleged that the man hurled an explosive device at the soldiers.
In the past two weeks, six teenagers aged 15 to 17, were shot and killed by Israeli fire in four different incidents, the Palestinian Ministry in the West Bank said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday that there’s “some concern about events in the West Bank spilling over and creating an effect that could undermine what we’re doing in Gaza.”
“We don’t expect it to,” he added. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
The post Netanyahu maintains opposition to Palestinian state amid far-right pressure appeared first on Straight Arrow News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
