The Israeli prime minister warned Washington
of his opposition to a Palestinian state
, a solution advocated by the United States, and rejected calls from the United States to reduce the magnitude of Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, statements that provoked immediate recrimination from the White House.
On the contrary, a defiant Netanyahu reaffirmed his willingness to continue the war against Hamas, launched after a brutal attack by the Palestinian terrorist group against Israel on October 7.
At a news conference, a provocative Netanyahu
vowed to continue the offensive in Gaza
"until
complete victory
": the destruction of Hamas and the return of Israeli hostages, adding that it could take
"many more months."
With nearly 25,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and 85% of the Strip's population displaced, Israel is under intense pressure to slow its offensive and engage in meaningful talks on a sustainable end to the war.
Netanyahu vowed to continue the offensive in Gaza "until complete victory."
Photo: Reuters
Israel's allies, including the United States - and many of its enemies - have urged a
revival of the dormant "two-state solution,"
in which a future Palestinian state would sit next to an Israeli one, something Netanyahu has embraced. opposite in round.
The tense exchange with the United States exposed what has become
a wide rift between two allies
over the scale of Israel's war and its plans for the future of the besieged Palestinian territory.
“We obviously look at it in different ways,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Netanyahu's statements came just a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that
Israel would never have “true security”
without a path to Palestinian independence.
The White House also said a few days ago that it was the “right time” for Israel
to reduce the intensity of its devastating military campaign
in Gaza.
In his nationally televised conference, Netanyahu was defiant.
Photo: EFE
In his nationally televised briefing, Netanyahu appeared defiant, repeatedly declaring that
Israel would not end its offensive
until its objectives were achieved.
He rejected claims from a growing number of Israeli critics who say
those goals are not viable,
and promised to continue the offensive. “We will not settle for anything less than an absolute victory,” Netanyahu said.
Israel unleashed its offensive after Hamas carried out the cross-border attack on October 7 that left 1,200 dead and took some 250 people captive, with around 130 believed to
remain in the hands of Palestinian fighters
.
The war has fueled tensions
across the region
and threatens to spark other conflicts.
The Israeli offensive,
one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in modern history
, has claimed the lives of almost 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
In addition, it has caused widespread destruction and forced more than 80% of the territory's 2.3 million inhabitants to abandon their homes.
The alarming cost of the war has led to a growing number of calls from the international community to end the offensive.
After giving strong support to Israel in the early days of the conflict, the United States — its closest ally — has begun to express its doubts and urged Netanyahu to
detail his vision for the situation in Gaza once the war ends. .
Washington has said
the
internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which governs semi-autonomous areas in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel, should be “revitalized” to return to Gaza.
Hamas overthrew the Palestinian Authority in Gaza in 2007.
The Palestinians want Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem to be part of their own state.
These areas were taken by Israel in 1967.
In his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Blinken said the two-state solution
was the best way to protect Israel
, unite moderate Arab countries and isolate Iran, an archenemy of Israel.
Netanyahu visits troops in Gaza.
Photo: AFP
Without a “path to a Palestinian state,” he declared, Israel would have “no real security.”
At that same conference, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the kingdom is willing to establish full relations with Israel as part of a broader political agreement.
“But that
can only happen through peace for the Palestinians
, through a Palestinian state,” he stressed.
Netanyahu, who
heads a far-right government
that opposes a Palestinian state, reiterated his rejection of a two-state solution because he believes that a Palestinian state
would become a launching pad for attacks on Israel.
He added that Israel
“must have control over the security of all territory west of the Jordan River.”
“That is contrary to the idea of sovereignty.
What can we do?"
“I tell our American friends this truth, and
I put a stop to their attempts to coerce us
into a reality that endangers the State of Israel,” he said.
The reaction of the White House
The comments sparked immediate pushback from the White House.
Kirby said President
Joe Biden “won't stop working” toward a two-state solution.
Before October 7, Israeli society was deeply divided over a plan by Netanyahu to implement judicial reform.
Since the attack, the country has rallied behind the war.
But divisions
have emerged again
over the prime minister's handling of the conflict.
Benjamin Netanyahu holds a private meeting with the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken.
Photo: EFE
Relatives of the hostages and their many supporters
have called for a new ceasefire
to allow their return home.
Hamas freed more than 100 hostages in an exchange for Palestinian prisoners as part of a week-long truce last November.
Dozens of people gathered in Tel Aviv to express their solidarity with the relatives of Kfir Bibas, the youngest Israeli hostage who celebrated his first birthday in captivity.
The red-haired baby and his 4-year-old brother, Ariel, were captured along with his mother Shiri and his father Yarden.
All four remain in the hands of Hamas.
Some have begun to question whether Netanyahu's goals are realistic, particularly given
the slow pace of the offensive and growing international criticism
, which includes accusations of genocide before the International Court of Justice.
Israel angrily rejects the allegations.
Netanyahu's opponents accuse him of postponing any discussion of post-war scenarios to
avoid looming accusations of government failures,
keep his coalition intact and postpone elections.
Polls show that the popularity of Netanyahu, who is facing trial on corruption charges, has plummeted during the war.
Voices
calling for general elections as soon as possible
are also increasing and the number of Israelis convinced that this war cannot be won
as long as Netanyahu remains in power is increasing.
On the front, Hamas claimed that at least 93 people were killed early Thursday in fresh Israeli bombings in the southern Gaza Strip.
At least "93 people were killed in the attacks last night and in the morning, including 16 in a bombing of a family home in Rafah," on the border with Egypt, said Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007.
With information from Associated Press, BBC News and RFI