The program to establish a Palestinian state, currently under development by the White House administration and several US-allied Middle Eastern states, has stirred strong opposition within Israeli right-wing politics and among leaders of the settler movement.
They demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately and unequivocally reject this plan. According to The Washington Post, the program entails the evacuation of the vast majority of settlements, the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem, and the rehabilitation of Gaza.
Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, adamantly opposes such a program. He stated, “Essentially, they're suggesting that Palestinians are entitled to a reward for the massacre they perpetrated. This conveys the message that targeting Israeli citizens is a lucrative endeavor.”
Smotrich emphasized, “A Palestinian state poses a threat to Israel's existence, as demonstrated by the events of October 7. Kfar Saba will not become Kfar Aza! I will urge other members of the 'narrow' cabinet of political and security ministers to unequivocally declare Israel's opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state and to impose sanctions on over half a million settlement residents.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the plan as a "crazy idea" and "part of a flawed belief that there is a peace partner on the other side."
Settlement Minister Orit Strook directed a statement to US President Joe Biden, asserting, “Israel will not commit suicide nor jeopardize its security further. The lesson of October 7 is that retreat breeds terror, and the lesson of October 8 is that the Palestinian Authority's administration is equivalent to Hamas; they share the same motivation, albeit with fewer resources. Kfar Saba will not become Kfar Aza, and a Palestinian state will not materialize,” Strook declared.
Minister Gideon Sa'ar, a member of the military-political cabinet, cautioned, "In my speech yesterday in Berlin, I warned against the dangerous proposal for unilateral international recognition of a Palestinian state. This move will not only fail to resolve the conflict but render it insoluble. It represents a step that will enable Palestinians to avoid compromise and perpetuate the conflict while possessing their own state, thereby weakening Israel's ability to ensure its security."
Shlomo Ne'eman, head of the Gush Etzion Settlement Council and Regional Council, underscored that "the establishment of a Palestinian state would signify defeat in the war and the triumph of a ruthless adversary in the Palestinian Authority." He declared, “We will not dim our lights or abandon the project of the state of Israel, nor will we remain silent until we hear a clear statement from the Israeli government that a Palestinian state will never come into existence.”
